Presence of the Past
by novemberchild1
Summary: Changed the title  formerly "Something New"  Auggie gets to go into the field again! He is tasked with convincing a former op to come back to the agency, but this seemingly simple mission becomes more complex as the night goes on.
1. Chapter 1

First CA fanfic. I was inspired to write one of my own after reading many very entertaining ones on here! I love this show and can't wait for it to come back, not to mention Christopher Gorham is a hottie :)

Please review! It'll only help my writing. Suggestions for what to include next are also welcome.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters, just the plot for my story:)

* * *

Chapter One

"So Auggie, tell me, why have you been looking like a walking toothpaste ad all day?" Annie asked as she leaned against his glass desk, arms crossed, eagerly awaiting his response.

He chuckled. "Walking toothpaste ad?"

"Yes. After you came out of Joan's office this morning that grin hasn't left your face once. I've been dying to ask you but Joan has been on me all day for the paperwork I kind of fell behind on...anyway, this has to be good. Spill it soldier."

She was right. It was good news, great news in fact. Not anything earth shattering, but to a former Special Forces man now a blind tech-ops guy stuck behind a desk all the time, it really was great news. As much as Annie was dying to know what had made him so happy, he was just as excited to tell her.

"Do you know where I can rent a tux on short notice?" He asked Annie.

"What?" He heard her clothing rustle as she shifted positions, scooting closer to him. "What does a tuxedo have to do with anything?"

He laughed. He enjoyed throwing her off, mainly because she'd speak faster and get kind of chirpy sounding. He thought it was cute.

"Well…I, August Anderson, have a field assignment. Tonight." He swung around in his chair to face her, well face her as best he could.

"Oh my god! Seriously? What's your assignment? Why do you need a tux? Who's your handler?"

Annie's rapid fire questions made him laugh. He could tell she was almost as excited and thrilled about this as he was.

"Whoa, slow down slugger, one question at a time. I need a tux because I'll be attending the swanky Governor's ball tonight. I have been tasked with convincing a former operative to come back to the agency. She has been refusing ever since we started trying to get her back, but Joan thinks we may have a shot tonight. Her father is good friends with the Gov and we have been informed that her mother is out of the country so former agent Li is now her father's plus one."

Annie was silent. Auggie could almost hear the wheels turning in her head, trying to figure out what how in the world they planned on convincing this former op at a fancy Governor's ball, and what Auggie had to do with it.

"And Joan has you going because…oh don't tell me she thinks you can charm her into coming back?"

"Well, not JUST charm." He started to get annoyed, not specifically at Annie, but because her very nearly correct guess, struck a nerve. It became apparent what his field purpose to the agency was. He was the go to man whenever a woman was involved and needed to be coerced into doing something. Annie's words came back to haunt him. _James bond was a lonely, sad old man. _ He would have a word with Joan the next time she tried to stick him in the field to manipulate another woman. Joan was clever though. She probably knew that his desperation to get field work, any field work whatsoever, would make him say yes to practically anything that allowed him to be somewhere else other than at his desk at the DPD.

"Auggie…earth to Auggie!" Annie's voice snapped him back to reality. "You ok?"

He took a deep breath. _At least you get to go back into the Field, Aug. Stop worrying about Annie & her stupid James Bond quote. _He told himself.

"Sorry. I got distracted. Just remembered that Jai's going to be my handler…kind of spoils the joy a little" Annie made a noise, and he could tell it wasn't in response to the Jai comment; she didn't believe him, he could almost picture her eyebrows rising up, quizzically. He's definitely going to be probed about it later. "Care to browse tuxedos with me?" He stood up and crooked his arm in her direction. She took it after a moment's pause.

"Where are we going?"

He fished a piece of paper out of his pocket, holding it up. "I got some places we can check out. Probably best if you drive though." He smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews so far! I didn't expect to be so well received and really appreciate all your encouragement and belief in my writing skills, lol. I like to dabble in fanfic on my own but figured why not share with others? I hope this story meets your expectations, eek! But don't worry, i'm strong, if you want to give me some constructive crit I can take it :) BTW, sorry for the short chapters. My ideas just seem to end quickly at the moment...hopefully they'll be longer in the future.

I know a lot of people like A&A so i'll try to incorporate that into my story as much as I can, I kind of have something up my sleeve, though I don't know if it'll be any good, haha.

Oh and lastly, about the hurt/comfort and lack of a secondary character - I was intending to write stuff in line with that genre, but I may change it as the story develops itself. And depending on how much Annie I put in the story, I may add her to the character list. Ok, that's it for now, enjoy!

Disclaimer: As usual, don't own.

* * *

Chapter Two

Annie rummaged around Auggie's fridge while he changed into his tux. She hadn't eaten lunch and the unplanned trip to Formal PurSUITS (what a cheesy name) had delayed her return home to any form of sustenance. But she didn't mind, spending time with Auggie always made her day brighter. His fridge fascinated her. She had never seen one so neat before. There wasn't much in it, but everything had its place and she had to keep reminding herself to set things back after she moved them around to look for potential munchies. Man, he was healthy – veggies, fruit, yogurt…and no ice cream in the freezer either. Annie sighed and settled on some string cheese from the bottom drawer. As she peeled the strips of dairy goodness and dangled them into her mouth for consumption, Auggie emerged from his bedroom, waving a black untied bowtie.

"Little help?"

Annie couldn't help but stare. Aside from the missing bowtie, Auggie looked stunning. The silky black tux fit him perfectly, accentuating his tall and muscular frame. She suddenly had a strong desire to accompany him to the ball, and a strong desire to do some other things. She shook her head, dispersing her naughty thoughts.

"I told you to get the clip-on one. It would've been so much easier." Annie teased as she put her cheese on the counter and took the piece of fabric from his hand. She wrapped it around his neck and as the gap between their bodies closed, her breath caught slightly. His woodsy, herbal cologne titillated her senses and she almost forgot what she was doing.

"Some time today Annie." Auggie chided.

His mouth was way too close to her ear Annie thought. She could feel her cheeks warm, probably turning some shade of pink. Good thing Auggie couldn't see it. She quickly finished tying the bow, straightened his pocket square and stepped back.

"There. You look like a bona-fide billionaire, or someone really important."

"I'm always someone really important." Auggie said with a wink. She playfully punched him in the arm.

"You know, you don't have any snack worthy food. I looked all over and the only thing I managed to find remotely munchie worthy is string cheese." Annie whined and she picked up the stick of cheese.

"I hope you put everything back. I'd prefer not to pour juice into my coffee."

"Har har. I put everything back like a good girl Mr. Auggie." Annie made an innocent face, though it's effect was lost on Auggie.

"Good. And I do have snack worthy food, you missed the fudge stripes."

"WHAT? Where are they? I didn't see them in your fridge or your pantry."

Auggie laughed, Annie would make a big deal about cookies. "In the cabinet with all the coffee. I have a system."

"Apparently a system that no one else uses..."

"I'm not like everyone else."

"Yeah, I know. Come on; let's get you to this swanky shin-dig so you can work your magic on this agent we so desperately want back. By the way…who is she and why do we want her back so badly?" Annie asked as she slid Auggie's big gray door closed behind them.

"Her name's Evelyn Li. She was stationed in Hong Kong for a few years monitoring the Chinese Mafia as well as North Korea's suspected involvement with nuclear weapons. According to her file, she's one hell of an agent. Graduated at 20 from MIT, top of her class in computer science and engineering, minored in chemistry, Black belt, or equivalent, in Karate, Jujitsu and Shoalin Kung-Fu, speaks fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and French…"

"Damn…compared to her I just seem like a spy wannabe. But I still don't get it. She sounds amazing and all, but why so much effort just for her? Don't we have plenty of guys who have just as much if not similar, qualifications?"

Auggie sighed, "Not quite. You're amazing and as much as I hate to admit it, Jai's pretty damn good as his job too. But Joan wants her with us because of her tech knowledge…"

"But we have you Auggie, and your team, who rock by the way. And didn't you go to MIT?"

"I did, but I didn't graduate two years early and I don't know 7 languages. But thanks for the praises anyway."

Annie glanced over at her dashing passenger. Leave it to Auggie to ooze modesty. He was the smartest person she had ever met, this Evelyn chick was supposedly better? She couldn't really see how.

"So it's so imperative that we find someone who can speak 3 more languages than you?"

"It's flattering that you think so highly of me Agent Walker, but Joan wants a tech-op who can do some damage in the field. I'm obviously not sanctioned – someone with working eyes would probably be better, and can you seriously see Barber or Stu out there doing what you and Jai do?"

Annie thought it over. Although Barber and Stu had to have passed training at the farm, she knew they had just barely made it. Nobody was a total dud with technology, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that none of the other agents were especially talented with tech either. This Evelyn Li would've come in handy many times, she admitted.

"No, I guess not."

"Exactly."


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the third chapter, which I managed to make a bit longer. I hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think, I really enjoy receiving reviews so keep them coming!

It may take me more than a day to get the fourth chap up because 1) Turkey day is tomorrow. Gotta help mom in the kitchen. 2) I have some very important interviews coming up and 3) Ideas are not coming as readily to me about the next part - I definitely want it to be more exciting so that will take some brainstorming.

Disclaimer: don't own

* * *

Chapter Three

As Annie's red Volkswagen approached the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center, her eyes widened as they took in the view. She had heard this place was massive, but seeing it in person blew her away. It was an enormous, mainly glass, structure shooting at least 17 stories into the sky. It was absolutely breathtaking. The shrill ring of Auggie's cell phone snapped her out of the mesmerized state she found herself in.

"Alright Annie. Jai's meeting me out front in a couple minutes. Have a safe trip back and don't forget to pick your jaw up off the floor before driving off." Auggie teased. Annie was always amazed at how well he could sense her reactions. She gave him one of her 'that's not funny' glares, told him to behave himself and pecked him on the cheek as he stepped out of the car. Before leaving, she rolled down the passenger window. "Are you sure you don't need me to wait here until Jai shows up?"

Auggie bent down and peered into the open window, his gaze at her steering wheel "Yes Mom, I'm sure. I think I hear him coming anyway."

Annie looked through her windshield and indeed spotted a tuxedoed Jai only several feet away. "I seriously don't know how you do that Aug."

"Do what?" He winked and stood up to meet his handler for the night.

"You boys play nice now." Annie warned before revving up her engine and cruising off.

Auggie could smell the crisp cool scent of the Potomac in the breeze. He closed his eyes and attempted to conjure up an image of the Convention Center from memory.

"Stairs?" Auggie inquired.

"Lots" Jai answered.

Auggie reluctantly folded his cane as Jai took his arm. Normally he opted to use his cane in the company of men, especially in the company of Jai Wilcox, but he didn't really have much choice here. It was just easier to navigate stairs with a lead and he preferred not to be a part of any mishaps tonight.

As they approached the ballroom entrance, Auggie noticed they had joined a line. He heard names being rattled off and pen scraping against paper – someone was checking off guests as they entered.

"Your name, sir?" A man's voice inquired at Auggie's right. He turned and directed his sightless eyes in the man's general direction and smiled.

"August Anderson"

"And you?" The guest checker asked Jai.

"Jai Wilcox."

As the man looked for their names on the list Auggie fidgeted with his bowtie, not used to having something so constricting around his neck. There was a price to looking good Annie always said. After a particularly long day he could hear her slightly limping footfalls, a result of wearing those ridiculously high heels, which were not kitten heels as he had mistakenly called them. Annie. He wished she were here with him tonight, her hand on his arm, leading him into the extravagant party instead of Jai. But having a female guest with him would make his little mission a lot harder. He was after all, trying to win over another woman.

"Welcome Mr. Anderson, Mr. Wilcox. Enjoy your night."

The ballroom was large, and had a high ceiling, Auggie could tell by how voices and footsteps echoed through the hall. Soft jazz played in the background. He silently hoped there would be some sounds of Mingus permeating the air later in the evening.

Auggie unfurled his cane as they entered, relieved that Jai no longer had to be touching him. The two men wandered absently as Jai scanned the room for their objective. He spotted her in a floor length, royal blue, a-line chiffon gown with satin trim. The color contrasted perfectly with her skin tone. He was suddenly jealous that Auggie got to sweet talk her. Jai's sentences and phrases became short and clipped as he related to Auggie the whereabouts of the woman in question.

"What's up with you Wilcox?" Auggie asked, noticing the extra curtness Jai was displaying.

"Nothing. She just sat down at the open bar. Empty seat to her left. Try not to get plastered." Jai condescendingly joked as he led Auggie towards the bar. "I'll be watching. She's gorgeous by the way. Not that it matters to you…" he said the last part wryly as he left Auggie's side. Auggie rolled his eyes, someone was testy today. Looks might not matter visually to him, but just because he couldn't see how beautiful a woman was didn't mean he couldn't appreciate it.

* * *

Evelyn Li started slightly as Auggie's cane made contact with the metal legs of the bar stool to her left. She watched quietly as he folded his cane and stuck out his hand, feeling the soft leather of the seat

"This seat taken?" He asked.

"No, go ahead." She replied.

As Auggie slipped into the vacant spot, she couldn't help but stare, not because she realized he was blind, although that added an aspect of intrigue, but she thought he looked strangely familiar. Maybe tonight wasn't going to be as boring as she had thought. Turning her attention back to the bar tender, she ordered a glass of BV Merlot.

* * *

"Partial to red wine are we?" Auggie asked as he slipped into the seat next to her, arms resting on the counter, cane neatly tucked in his right hand.

"It tastes good, it's good for you and it's alcohol. How can you go wrong?"

"You make a excellent point." This was a nice start. She was receptive and cheeky. He turned to his right and extended his left hand. "August Anderson"

A moment passed before she made a move to shake his hand. Auggie swore she had stopped breathing for a couple seconds, but her handshake was firm so she was either very good at deception or he was over analyzing the situation. It was probably some of both; she was after all, a former field agent.

"Evelyn."

"And do you have a last name, Evelyn?" He of course, already knew the answer to that.

"I might, after a couple more glasses of wine" She winked, but realized the futility of that small flirtatious gesture with a blind man. Brushing off her embarrassment, she asked Auggie if he wanted anything to drink and the two of them found themselves at ease in conversation.

* * *

Auggie realized he loved Evelyn's laugh. It was lilting, feminine and bubbly without being overly cutesy like some women he had run across. Since he couldn't see, sound was just as important, if not more so, than one's looks. During the course of the conversation, they had inched their stools closer to one another unconsciously. His knees encircled hers slightly and Auggie left his cane sitting on the bar counter in favor of freeing one hand for his beer and another for Evelyn's soft slender hand. Perhaps it was all the cocktails messing with him, but the more the two of them sat there and bantered, the more Auggie felt like he was really trying to win her over for himself, and less for the agency.

She spoke of her time overseas (no mention of the CIA of course), her soothing, slightly breathy voice described life in the major metropolitan city of Hong Kong to the tranquil country sides of China just hours from the North Korean border, so vividly he could literally see it in his mind's eye. Very seldom did he meet someone who had such a way with words. They bonded over geeky tech talk as she gushed about her work at Google and he discussed his job as the Smithsonian's systems security head-honcho like it really was his occupation. He found himself going on and on about his fancy Braille keyboard and spiffy embedded document reader with voice recognition and they exchanged silly theories about how Google was taking over the world and she poked fun at him about protecting old smelly things no one cared about.

Auggie's thumb gently rubbed circles into her palm and Evelyn found herself deeply mesmerized by him. She noticed everything about him, the way he talked – he was confident, but not arrogant, the way dimples would materialize when he smiled, and the most captivating, yet slightly unnerving thing of all – how his beautiful, yet sightless, chestnut eyes would search for hers, in fleeting intimate moments, sometimes finding them and surprising her.

They sat in a moment of comfortable silence before she spoke up again.

"Can I ask you a more personal question, August?" She inquired, tentatively.

"First, please, call me Auggie. Second, that depends if I have enough alcohol in my system…which, you're in luck, I believe I do." Auggie replied with a smirk.

_Auggie. _She knew a man named Auggie once, but it couldn't be. It was a unique name, but there had to be more than one Auggie in the world. She blinked away the thought, took a breath and laughed shyly before proceeding with her question. "How did it happen?"


	4. Chapter 4

I just wanted to thank all of you who have reviewed & added to your alerts, y'all are my motivation to continue with this story :) If you haven't yet please R&R

Sorry this chapter took a little longer to put up. I was actually having kind of a difficult time getting my ideas down and editing it all. Hope it's not bad. Just a heads up, the next chapter hasn't even been started yet and I have a ton of things to do the next couple of days so it might take some time for that one.

Disclaimer: don't own

* * *

Chapter Four

Auggie knew that topic would come up sooner or later. He was actually surprised she didn't mention it a lot earlier. Most people would've. Evelyn however, was genuinely more interested in all the other aspects of his life. It reminded him of the first day he met Annie, shocked by her curiosity regarding his fancy headphones and not his useless eyes.

"You don't have to answer, nevermind." She said quickly, assuming his silence meant she had brought up a sensitive topic.

"I was in the military..." Auggie began, eyes pointlessly directed at their clasped hands. " Special Forces, to be exact. We had intel that insurgents were relaying messages to each other through dead animals, so my unit got the lovely job of checking out rotting carcasses. They must've realized we were on to them and planted an IED in a dead dog. When we went to check it out, it went off and the last thing I remember was the bang, bright white and then…waking up in Walter Reed wondering why my room was so dark." Auggie looked up reflexively as if he expected to meet her eyes, but of course he was greeted by the same darkness that had become a part of his life since that day three years ago. He looked away, slightly dejected.

Auggie wasn't opposed to telling this story, but he always felt more vulnerable afterward; a feeling he did not enjoy. Evelyn embraced his hand with both of hers and slid closer.

"I'm so sorry August. That must've been a difficult time." Her thumb lightly caressed his hand and he looked up and smiled wistfully. Their bodies were just inches apart now and he could smell her floral scent, punctuated with hints of citrus.

Auggie's free hand began distractedly stroking the fabric of Evelyn's gown. "I want to see you. Tell me?" He meant for the question to sound flirtatious, but his voice betrayed him ever so slightly. If he had been with any other woman, they wouldn't have noticed but Auggie bet Evelyn did. He silently cursed.

Evelyn was astoundingly skilled in reading people and though he put up a playful front, she detected the faintest of longing in his entreaty. Her heart ached for Auggie and she suddenly found herself irrevocably drawn to him. It was like their souls had once been intertwined and she wondered if he felt this same powerful ghost of a connection.

"Hmm…I'm Chinese. My last name gives that away though…oh, but I didn't tell it to you. Screw the wine, it's Li."

Auggle chuckled and Evelyn was elated that she made him laugh.

"What else? Umm…" She continued on, describing her appearance in remarkable detail. She alluded to fabric falling like silky ocean waves and her Jimmy Choos embodying the rays of the sun, except in black leather.

As Evelyn continued, the distance between them slowly closed; he could feel her warm breath on his skin. As he tenderly brushed her soft ebony hair, a strange sense of familiarity played with Auggie's senses. Their lips were just centimeters apart when a rough male voice interrupted the moment. They jerked apart, startled.

"Evelyn." Her father stated, sternly.

"Dad! Do you need something?" Evelyn asked, angrily.

"May I speak to you for a moment?" She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." She gently placed her hand on Auggie's knee. "I'm sorry August. I'll just be a moment." Auggie nodded in understanding, his body buzzing from the intense almost kiss. He had only known her for what? Half an hour, forty-five minutes? And yet he felt so fiercely attracted to her it was rather unsettling. He'd never felt like this with any woman upon first meeting, they hadn't even gotten physical yet and it was as if they were way beyond that already. And why did she keep calling him August and not Auggie?

Auggie turned in his seat, grabbed his beer and took a good long swig. He heard her heels click away, matching in rhythm to the deeper thuds of a man's shoes.

* * *

Jai had been steadily observing Auggie and Evelyn during the course of the night so far and at first, couldn't believe Auggie had gotten her to fall for him so quickly. But He noticed something even stranger. Auggie was most definitely falling for her too. Jai couldn't put his finger on what gave this away, but he knew the differences between how a man feigning interest would behave versus how a man seriously invested would behave. Auggie was exhibiting the latter.

_What about Annie? _Jai thought. Granted he did run an op on her at the beginning, but Jai had really come to care for her. Obviously she and Auggie had a bond no one could touch, but he hoped, for Annie's sake, that acting was just another one of Auggie's many talents. It had taken a while, with no help from Jai, but the two of them had finally started admitting their feelings for each. She didn't deserve to be hurt again. He would give Auggie hell if that were to happen.

"Almost scored there Augmeister." Jai's voice crackled in his ear.

"Can it Jai."

"Aww…someone's upset that Daddy Li interrupted mission mack-on."

"Mission mack-on? Seriously? Wilcox you' ve either drank too much or not enough."

"Definitely not enough, but unfortunately, I have to watch your ass."

"I'm not forcing you to stay. I can take care of myself. You're free to leave." Sometimes Joan's over protectiveness annoyed the hell out of Auggie.

"You know I'm not. Contrary to what you may think, I do respect protocol. By the way, does this mean Annie's fair game now?"

"If you've forgotten, this is an OP Jai." Auggie hissed. Reminding himself at the same time. Evelyn was enchanting, terrifyingly so, but he was just starting to forge a relationship beyond friendship with Annie. She was his light in the dark, partner in crime, and most importantly, his most trusted companion. He could not let some bizarre encounter jeopardize that.

"You could've fooled me. Guess I should nominate you for an Oscar." Jai bit back.

"Why don't you go find some rich daddy's girl to grace with your presence."

"Did I strike a nerve? Careful Anderson. I hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

Auggie sat at the bar, alternating between downing beer and rubbing the bridge between his eyes. This night was turning out to be more complicated than he imagined. To make matters worse, he caught the tail end of the conversation between Evelyn and her father.

"Get to your point Dad." Evelyn demanded, irritated.

"I did not bring you here to get seduced by some blind man."

"Excuse me?"

"My daughter deserves better. A man like that has nothing to offer you."

References like that usually bounced off of him, but tonight Evelyn had managed to pull out Auggie's vulnerable side and he was having a hard time stuffing it back in. Her father's words stung. This was why he had shied away from pursuing any real relationships since the accident. Meaningless sex was easy, real feelings and family members - brutal and complicated.

"August?" Auggie jumped. He had been so deep in thought, he hadn't noticed Evelyn approach. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's fine. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings like I should have been." He said, rather coldly, not even bothering to turn around.

"Oh." Evelyn responded, a perplexed look on her face. She tried to lighten the sudden shift in mood by leaning her arms on his shoulders, placing her head next to his. Auggie shrugged her off, annoyed. This confused and worried Evelyn. She took her seat and tried to get a glimpse of his face. "Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?"

Shit. In the wake of his anger he had completely forgot why he was here. Thankfully, Evelyn's interest in him didn't waiver. He was lucky she hadn't stormed off already. He prayed to god Jai didn't witness his slip-up. _Keep it together Aug, what's the matter with you? _Auggie took a deep breath, turned and felt for her hands, rubbing them apologetically.

"I'm sorry Evelyn. I didn't mean to…" But before he could finish, she cut him off.

"Oh my god! You heard what my father said! I didn't know you could hear us. I want to apologize; he can be such an insensitive jerk. I can't believe I'm related to him." Talk about being observant. At least he could tell she felt awful about it.

Auggie cupped the left side of Evelyn's face, leaned towards her and smiled sweetly. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine, really. Sticks n' stones."

She didn't believe him, but decided not to push it further.

"For what it's worth, I COMPLETELY disagree with him."

The amorous spark between them returned as their lips met, lightly at first. The intensity grew with each deepening, needy kiss and it was as if they hadn't experienced any interruptions at all.


	5. Chapter 5

Here it is, chapter five! There's some Chris Gorham related nuggets in this one – cookies (virtual of course) for those of you who figure them out :)

Oh, I changed the title of the story. "Something New" was just a random title I used to put up the first chapter. It's now called "Presence of the Past" which I think is more fitting.

This chapter was actually pretty fun to write, especially the flashback. Had a little trouble figuring out the logistics of the semi-action set up but I think it worked out, I hope. I needed it in there for the purposes of Auggie's mission. You'll see why eventually.

Please review if you like! Only way I can tell if you guys want me to keep going!

Disclaimer: same same

* * *

Chapter Five

It was late. Joan shook her head, escaping the paperwork trance she had been under for the past couple of hours. Her cell vibrated loudly against her desk and she glanced at the screen and picked up.

"I know Arthur. I'm packing up. I'll be down in 5 minutes."

"You said that 5 minutes ago. The restaurant can only hold our table for another 10."

"Ok, then stop talking to me so I can leave." Joan clicked end and dropped the phone into her purse. As she made her way through the maze of desks in the bullpen, now eerily dim and quiet, the glow from Auggie's computer in the tech ops department caught her attention. _That's odd. Auggie never leaves his computer on overnight. _She slid open the glass door and rounded his desk to see what was going on. As files and pictures flashed across the screen, Joan was almost certain someone was hacking into Auggie's system, and that someone was accessing files on Evelyn Li, the Governor's Ball and an old mission file titled LINK. This was not good. What was this hacker looking for? LINK was 8 years ago. Joan noticed that the hacker seemed to be having trouble accessing this latter file. _Thank God for that at least._

Her phone started to vibrate again – it was Arthur. She speed dialed Stu and Barber from Auggie's landline first, making sure they were on their way, before she called her husband back and told him for probably the millionth time since they were married, that dinner was cancelled.

* * *

Evelyn pulled away from their embrace, breathless. "I think we need somewhere more private. I'm not exactly opposed to PDA, but I'd rather not give these VIPs a show." She whispered into Auggie's ear.

"Did you have someplace in mind?"

"It's a gorgeous night and there's a terrace off the east side. Wanna check it out?"

Auggie hopped off the bar stool and crooked his arm in Evelyn's direction. "Lead the way."

* * *

"Your pants are vibrating." Jai's tall, leggy, blonde dance partner said. He took a peek and saw Joan's name blinking at him.

"I'm sorry. I need to take this."

"That's alright. I'll be at the bar." She smiled seductively at him before walking away.

"Yes Joan?"

"We have a problem." Jai stiffened as he waited for her to continue. "Auggie's computer is-was being hacked. I got Stu and Barber back here and they've managed to cut off access, for now. It looks like the hacker didn't anticipate being caught, but he or she was smart enough to get around Auggie's security. Anyway, they were downloading files on Evelyn and the Ball tonight along with trying to access an old mission file connected with Evelyn. We need to get them out of there and back to the DPD ASAP."

"I don't think she'll come willingly with one guy she just met and a complete stranger. And what about our op?"

"Forget the op. She's a former agent Jai, tell her what's going on. If she gives you a hard time, have her talk to me. She'll come."

* * *

Evelyn and Auggie were just several feet from the terrace when a nasally male voice called out.

"Evie Yin?"

Evelyn froze as the man approached from her right.

"Evie, is that you?" She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. All she could do was stare. "It's Ron. Ron Tannen? We were lab partners in PESS at MIT."

"Oh, Ron! Wow, it's been a while. How are you?" They had been lab partners for one semester, back in her freshman year, and it took her a minute to recognize him. She probably wouldn't have remembered him at all if it wasn't for his distinctive appearance. You don't run across many pale, scrawny guys with curly red hair and lots of freckles.

As the two of them caught up, Auggie stood silently in shock. Evie Yin? Why did this man call her that, and more importantly, why did she respond?

* * *

**_FLASHBACK: MIT August 21, 2000_**

A 20-year old August Anderson grudgingly walked into his Introduction to Acting class. He was never a man of fine arts. His mother had tried to get him to play in the school band in junior high, but he quit after two weeks. He was at MIT, a world renowned institution for science, studying what he loved – computers. He was pissed at his counselor. There was an arts general education requirement? It was ridiculous; he could be spending this hour working on his research project. But no, instead, he was in a room full of theater geeks. He looked around the room and spotted a cute Asian girl in the corner, looking like she didn't want to be there either. He plopped down into the seat next her.

"Hi." He said to her with a lopsided smile.

"Hey."

"So, intro to acting huh?"

"Yeah." She responded, unenthusiastically.

He leaned over, whispering into her ear. "To tell you the truth, I don't really want to be here."

She turned, a look of relief washing over her. "Really? Oh my god, me neither."

"Great, we can suffer through this together. August Anderson, call me Auggie."

She giggled, extending her hand. "Evie Yin. What if I like August better?"

He didn't particularly like being called August, but for some reason, it sounded great coming from her.

"Well then, you can call me August." He said with a grin.

* * *

Jai headed back into the ballroom after speaking to Joan, he hoped Evelyn and Auggie were still at the bar. They weren't. Damn. He tried to page him through the wire they both wore – nothing. He tried Auggie's phone – nothing. Jai cursed, he hoped nothing had happened to them while he was gone.

* * *

**_FLASHBACK CONTINUED_**

At the ring of the bell the professor enthusiastically welcomed everyone to his class, did his spiel about MIT's fine arts program, the goal of the class and handed out syllabi before starting everyone off on the first exercise.

"Ok guys and gals. Pair up!"

Evie and Auggie immediately looked at each other, silently partnering up.

"Ok, now stand back to back with your partner. Whoever's older will go first. You ask a question and your partner is to respond with a question. Got it? Go!"

Auggie was older by a few months so he asked the first question. Evie responded by saying "What?" He didn't think that was exactly the answer the instructor was looking for, but he continued and asked another question. She said "What?" again. Auggie chuckled, she obviously didn't understand the exercise. She seemed like a fairly intelligent person upon first meeting. Maybe he was wrong? Well it didn't matter too much to him either way; he was surprisingly having fun with this.

"Alright, now turn and face each other. Person 1 say a statement and person 2 respond with a statement."

Auggie turned, coming face to face with Evie. "I think I'm falling in love with you."

Her eyes widened. She was completely speechless. After a few moments, Auggie decided to break the silence.

"I thought we were going for shock factor." Evie laughed and punched him in the arm. "Do you want to grab lunch after class?" He asked.

She looked at him quizzically before responding. "Sure."

They decided on a popular sandwich shop on campus for their meal and sat at small table near the window. The two of them gabbed endlessly about school, friends and even their acting class. She was in her second year at MIT, studying computer science and engineering – same as Auggie. He asked her about the exercise in class and she playfully called him a jerk for thinking she didn't understand.

"You're tall and the room was full of people! I couldn't hear you!" She squeaked as she balled up a napkin and threw it at him.

"Oh…that makes sense."

After that first day, they became fast friends and quickly after that, boyfriend and girlfriend. She was beautiful, smart and funny. He had a blast with her no matter if they were watching a movie, doing homework, eating out or studying. After just one month, he had fallen head over heels in love with her. She told him all the time how she felt like the luckiest girl in the world, but he always insisted he was the luckiest guy. Evie Yin was his first love. She understood him and he thought he understood her, but Auggie learned how wrong he was.

_April 6__th__, 2001_

"I'm graduating early."

"What do you mean early? Like next year?" Auggie asked, while chewing a mouthful of pizza.

"No August…like in a month."

"What? You're kidding me. Tell me you're kidding."

"I'm not kidding."

"Wha-how- why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I don't know…it didn't come up." Evie said meekly.

"Didn't come up? What about when we talk about next year and all the things we're going to do?"

"I don't know. I didn't want to ruin the moment? I don't know! There never seemed to be a good time to tell you…"

"What the hell Evie? Where does this leave us?" Auggie was furious, and scared. Was she going to break up with him? Were they going to try long distance? She obviously wasn't going to be nearby, that much he could deduct. She would've said something sooner if she was going to be in town or in close proximity. He stared at her intently, a barrage of different emotions flashing over his face. Tears started to well in her eyes.

"We can't…I-I-I'm leaving the country."

Auggie's legs gave out. He fell back onto the couch, next to her. She looked away, her body twitched as she tried to keep herself from sobbing.

"So that's it? The past 8 months meant nothing? How could you do this to me?"

"No! It has meant the world to me August. I'm sorry…I don't want to…"

"Get out!" Auggie yelled, his voice cracking and on the verge of tears. Evie jumped. She knew him well enough to know what when angry with her; the best thing to do was leave. Anything else would make it worse. So she got up shakily and walked to the door.

"I love you August. Even if you don't forgive me, I'll always love you." And she was gone.

The following month was difficult. They didn't have any classes together so it was easy to avoid seeing one another. Auggie missed her intensely, but he was also the angriest he had ever been and a tinge prideful. She wrote him an emotional letter two weeks before graduation, apologizing as much as she could, professing how much she loved him and hoping she would at least see him at her graduation. He showed up to watch her walk across the stage. This was probably the last time he'd see her for a very, very long time, if ever again. He couldn't just end things on a sour note. While her parents were back at her apartment cleaning and packing, Evie came over to Auggie's. They hugged and kissed each other with a passion so strong it was suffocating. Evie cried, Auggie cried and at the end, they were both exhausted.

Auggie cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her one last time.

"Take care of yourself. Wherever you end up, promise?" Evie shook her head.

"Write to me? When you can?" She shook her head again, tears sliding down her face.

"I love you Evie."

"I love you too August."

He never heard from her again. He checked his e-mail and regular mail constantly over that summer. She never wrote to him, not that summer, not ever since then.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Sorry this took a few days. It's kind of a long chapter but I hope you all will enjoy it. It was hard trying to express Auggie and Evelyn's emotions correctly with words, but I am satisfied. Don't forget, I like reviews!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, though it would be cool if it were :)

* * *

Chapter Six

"August?" Auggie had zoned out during her chat with Ron and when he didn't respond to the calling of his name, she nudged him and tried again.

It worked the second time. Auggie snapped out of his reverie. The memory of Evie still fresh, he felt the disappointment and pain all over again. There weren't very many occasions where Auggie desperately wanted to be able to see again. He had come to terms with his blindness for a while now and it was almost as if he had been living this way for years and years. But right now, he didn't feel that way. If he could just see her, he'd know. Granted it had been almost ten years, but how much could she change? She hadn't gained weight and even if her hair was styled differently, which it probably was, he could still recognize her face. Her voice probably hasn't change either, but he didn't pay much attention to it back then and after all this time, it was impossible to recall.

Auggie did wonder though, if Evelyn and Evie were indeed one and the same, why she hadn't recognized him; then again, there _were _some major things that have changed on his side.

"Why do you keep calling me August?" He asked as they walked arm in arm over to the east terrace.

"Oh. I didn't even realize it. I guess I subconsciously like August better? I'm sorry, Auggie."

Evelyn led him to a stone railing that Auggie assumed, surrounded the veranda. A warm breeze off the Potomac blew over them; it really was a beautiful night. She leaned in closer and Auggie put his arm around her waist as they stood facing the river.

"So, why did that man call you Evie Yin? I thought your name was Evelyn Li?" Auggie ventured. He heard her take a deep breath.

"To make a long story short, I've been called Evie since I was little and I didn't really like the name Evelyn. I also hated my dad for a long time, still don't like the man much more now…but anyway, the last name Li associated me with him. So when I went to college I decided to drop it socially, because you know, its college and you can do that. My Chinese name is Sun Yin, so unofficially I'm Evelyn Sun Yin Li. Take off the Li change Evelyn to Evie and you get Evie Yin. But now that I'm all grown up, I've decided to use my real name, makes lots of things easier." She said, laughing.

"I see. That's some paternal hatred you had going there." So far, all signs were leading to Evie, but Auggie needed more concrete proof, something that would tell him that it was undeniably her or not.

What did he know about her? He racked his brain, forcing himself to pull out old dusty memories. Favorite color, movie, siblings…none of this information was good enough until Auggie remembered a story she had told him one night. They had channel flipped on to an equestrian event and Evie insisted on watching it.

"Yeah, well I was young, and angsty. Plus, you heard my father. That was a pretty accurate representation of who he is." Evelyn explained.

"Guess there's no spoiled daddy's girl here…though the Jimmy Choos make me think otherwise." Auggie teased.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, thwacking him lightly with her purse. "I bought these with my own money thank you very much."

"So you didn't attend some ridiculously expensive college prep school, ride horses as sport and break for afternoon tea?" Auggie realized he was being a little silly, but he hoped this was a means to getting the information he sought.

"Don't hate on horseback riding." Evelyn responded, a tad defensively.

"Sorry, I was only joking, not hating on it. Did you ride?" Auggie knew Evie did. Her story was rather heartbreaking, but it was also identifying.

"Yeah…I actually did, competitively all through junior high and high school. Won lots of first place prizes too. I loved it." She told him wistfully.

"If you loved it, why didn't you continue?" This was the moment of truth. Auggie's heart was pounding so fiercely inside his chest that the beats pulsated in his ears. He waited with bated breath for her story and hopefully a mention of her horse's name. Evie had named him after her star sign and favorite constellation.

"I had my horse since he was a pony. We grew up together and competed together. The bond I had with him, I can't even put into words. Gemini was my baby, but he got hurt and then really sick. They couldn't do anything for him in the end and had to put him down. I was a wreck. My heart just wasn't in it after that and I quit."

Evelyn turned and affectionately played with Auggie's bangs. He caught her wrist mid brush and she stiffened, confused. She searched his face for an explanation regarding this odd behavior. Auggie swallowed hard.

"It is you." He managed to say.

"What?" She was still as baffled as before.

Auggie let go of her wrist and turned away, uneasy with the reality unfolding. "Evie, how many August Andersons do you know?" He was trying extremely hard to keep his emotions in check.

Evelyn gasped as her hands flew to cover her mouth in shock. "I didn't even… you're so different…"

Auggie spun around abruptly, facing her general direction. "Really? I hadn't noticed." He said sarcastically. This was like meeting Natasha all over again, that disconcerting feeling of inadequacy rearing its ugly head; though at least with Tash he was prepared. However, this time he was caught off guard and the emotions coursing through him were roughly five times stronger. Not to mention with Natasha, he had been the one who left her in the cold. Here, Evie had been the one to cut off all contact. He now knew why, but it didn't make him any less upset.

Evelyn reached out to Auggie, not knowing what to say and still reeling from what just transpired. He withdrew his arm from her touch. Just minutes ago he was attempting to seduce, unbeknownst to him, his ex-girlfriend, in full Agent Auggie Anderson mode. He was in his element, but now he felt like a fish out of water, exposed and unequipped.

"I can't do this…" He muttered to himself, while hastily unfolding his cane. Auggie had no idea where he was going to go, but he needed to leave. His head was spinning and his emotions were in disarray. Screw the mission. Screw Joan. Screw the CIA.

* * *

Jai was looking everywhere for Auggie and Evelyn. He scoured the bathrooms, the stairwells, and the lobby of the convention center to no avail. As he came back to the ballroom, he saw Auggie emerge from the terrace, tapping his cane furiously, full steam ahead. Several people shrieked and jumped out of his way. _What the hell is going on? _Jai thought to himself, exasperated.

He hurried over to Auggie and grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop or at least slow him down. "Hey, what's going on? Where's Evelyn? And where are you going in such a rush?" He asked, out of breath.

"Evelyn? Oh, you mean Evie? Another one of my ex-girlfriends the CIA just happened to have found?"

"Ex-girlfriend? What are you talking about?" Jai asked, confused.

"Forget it Jai. I'm off this mission. I can't do it. I'm leaving." Auggie tried to wrench himself out of Jai's grasp, but he held firm.

"Ok I don't know what's going on between you and her, but all three of us have to go to Langley, NOW. Your computer was hacked and whoever did it was accessing files on Evelyn, this ball and some mission she did years ago." Jai whispered with urgency.

"Someone was able to hack MY system?" Auggie asked, bewildered.

"Yes. Now, where is she?"

Auggie sighed. This night could not get any worse. "She was on the terrace, last I know. You get her to come. I can't deal with this right now."

Jai was getting aggravated by Auggie's bizzare behavior but there was no time to argue. He marched towards the terrace, dragging Auggie with him.

* * *

Evelyn was stunned. Sure he seemed familiar, but she would not have guessed he was her August. The August she remembered was the epitome of geek, minus the glasses. He was gangly and slightly awkward, with boyish features and a pension for harmless mischief. This August was brawny, suave but weathered with shaggy hair and slight stubble, not to mention blind. Blind. She couldn't wrap her head around that, the idea tugged uncomfortably at her heart.

When he realized who she was, the air of confidence he had earlier in the night vanished. He became flustered and tried to get away as fast as he could. She called after him, ran after him for a moment – but knew he wouldn't turn back. She watched him go; tapping his can in a daze, almost bowling several people over before a lean, dark skinned man approached and stopped him. Evelyn stared at them. Auggie resisted this man at first, but he seemed intent on getting something across. All of sudden, the dark skinned man turned, grabbed Auggie's arm and dragged him back towards her. This was more than just a sudden reunion of past lovers.

* * *

Their eyes had met as Jai made his way over to Evelyn, pulling Auggie along. She backed away slightly, a look of apprehension clear across her face.

"Miss Li?" Jai inquired.

"Yes…" She answered hesitantly.

He extended his hand. "I'm Jai Wilcox."

"Henry Wilcox's son?" Evelyn asked, awestruck. "Wait…" Her eyes darted back and forth, from Auggie to Jai. He could see the wheels turning in her head. This wasn't going to be easy. Time was of the essence here and yet nothing seemed to be on Jai's side. At least the terrace was secluded and empty of other guests.

"Wow…" She approached Auggie, front and center. "You. You were playing me. This whole time, trying to get me to…I don't know how many times I need to say no to you people. I'm not coming back. You can quit the tortured soul act." She turned to stomp away, but Auggie reached out and caught her arm, spinning her back around to face him.

"You think I knew it was you?" His unseeing eyes flickered with anguish "I don't know an Evelyn Li. I can't see you to know otherwise!"

She yanked her arm out of his grip, her breathing becoming much shallower.

"Listen." Jai interjected. "Evelyn, Auggie's computer was hacked back at Langley. Whoever did it was looking at information regarding tonight, you and a mission titled LINK."

"LINK? Why?" Her demeanor changed from disgruntled to concern.

"We don't know. Joan wants us back there to find out. Your and our safety is of top priority right now. We are no longer angling to get you back."

"But you were." Evelyn stated, indignantly.

Jai figured admitting to it was the best course of action. "Yes, we were, but not anymore. Now, will you please come with us?"

Evelyn stood there, eyes locked with Jai's for what seemed like forever. Finally she closed them and let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry for taking a bit long with this one. It was kind of a doozy to write, but I hope it turned out well. I'm not a tech wiz by any means so I apologize if my lingo isn't correct or the executions impossible. I did a little research, but there's only so much I can understand lol. I appreciate any and all reviews!

Sorry for the multiple alerts. I realized i forgot to add a few things into this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** not mine

* * *

Chapter 7

A standard issue black SUV awaited them at one of the side entrances. After Jai made sure it was indeed the ride Joan had arranged, he hopped into shot gun, leaving the two ex-lovers stuck in the back seat, sitting in awkward silence.

Evelyn kept her gaze out the window, though she barely registered anything beyond the glass. It took all the strength she had to break it off with Auggie. She was ready and set to graduate early anyway, but planned on maybe staying and getting her masters, though she didn't really need the formality to prove her prowess. The agency had approached her only a couple months before the two of them had met. They were incredibly impressed with her skills in martial arts, languages and of course, technology. She turned them down at first, but when they came back with an offer to work abroad – it was irresistible. It gave her a chance to get away from her father and do something exciting with her life. She was still quite young, free from familial responsibilities, and the thrill of working for the CIA was incredibly enticing. Evelyn accepted. Then she met Auggie and suddenly she wasn't so eager to go anymore.

He was truly the love of her life. She had no doubt in her mind that they were perfect for each other, often fantasizing about getting married and raising a family together. She considered suggesting he apply for the CIA, Auggie certainly possessed desirable talents. But in the end, she didn't want him to choose a path because of her. He had his whole life ahead of him, with numerous career choices; she couldn't limit him like that. Not to mention there was no guarantee they would be able to work together and he wasn't even ready to graduate. She thought about quitting, but then she would be choosing a path because of him. Evelyn wanted to tell Auggie all of this, but the truth was, she had underestimated how demanding and dangerous working as a field agent for the CIA would be.

When she had promised to keep in touch and to write him, she had meant it, but nothing had gone according to plan. Evelyn hadn't even been able to really settle in before she was wrapped up in her first mission. She was running tech for an agent trying to join one of the Hong Kong triads, the Black Dragons, suspected of involvement with human trafficking. The mission had almost gotten compromised and it scared her to death that the bad guys could dig up info on family and friends, find them and hurt them to get to any agent. She couldn't put Auggie in danger like that. If anything happened to him she would never be able to forgive herself. There could not be any contact, she just couldn't risk it. It killed her to do this. The first few months were pure torture, but life steadily became consumed by work and she tucked the memories of Auggie into the far recesses of her heart.

Now she was sitting less than a foot away from him. It was darkly ironic that he ended up joining the CIA. She wondered what motivated him to join and how long he had been with them. Evelyn had quit 2 years ago, tired of it all: the deceit, the danger, the nomadic existence. She wanted a normal life again, to finally settle down. She had performed outstandingly as an international field agent. Her tech knowledge was invaluable and she knew it would be rough getting the agency to let her go without a fight, but she had made up her mind.

* * *

So this was the DPD, Evelyn thought as she took in the rows of desks and glass doored offices. The hub of activity seemed to be in a large office connected to a mini version of the bullpen. This was probably Auggie's domain.

Joan spotted them as they entered. As usual she was wearing a demure sheath dress accessorized with a few key pieces of jewelry. The two women exchanged pleasantries; they had worked together a couple times overseas back when Joan was still a field agent. She didn't fault Evelyn for quitting the agency, but it was still her duty to try and get her back, though this was suspended for the time being.

They filed into the tech ops department quickly, Auggie heading immediately to his desk as Barber went into details about the hack.

"We couldn't get a trace on where the hack was coming from. This guy didn't expect to be caught, but he's damn good to be able to get into your system Aug. We tried to find a trail but he was using some serious log file cleaners and rootkits. Everything's leading to dead ends."

Auggie stuck his Grado headphones on, covering only one ear so he could listen to Barber as he typed and clicked away. Streams of codes and the occasional image flashed across his screen, some Barber and Stu had never seen or knew how to use. Evelyn watched in awe, not of the codes (she knew those), but of Auggie's ability to run all these commands and prompts without being able to see. No wonder he was so animated when he told her about his Braille keyboard and all the other cool doodads that helped him to stay working in the field he loved. He really was an impressive man.

"Evelyn, do you have any idea why someone would be interested in you and the LINK mission you were involved with? Joan asked, snapping Evelyn out of her admiration-filled daze.

"Not that I can think of. I mean, I was in pretty deep cover, we used fake names and I know we got rid of our tracks pretty damn well because I was the one who made sure of it. Umm…the mission was successful; we didn't hit any serious snags. I mean I was with Young-Jae from the moment we made contact in China to finalizing his sanctuary in the states." She felt kind of strange recalling all of this wearing an expensive formal gown in the middle of CIA headquarters.

"Some of us don't have the time to read the file. Mission objectives, pertinent background info on agents involved etc…would be nice" Auggie stated, clearly annoyed. Joan flashed him a quizzical look, and wondered why he was being unnecessarily snappy with Evelyn. Her instincts told her it had to do with more than just having his computer virtually broken in to.

"Sorry. Uh, the objective was to safely get Young-Jae Chong across the North Korea-China border, verify his intel on North Korean & Russian missile trading and pending good intel, bring him back to the states for sanctuary. I don't really remember all the other agents involved though."

"Barber, run a check on the agents associated with LINK." Auggie ordered. The agents came up clean.

"Wait, Young-Jae. He was veritable tech wiz. That's how he was able to contact the CIA without being detected by the North Korean government. I don't see why he would be doing this though." Evelyn suddenly recalled.

"Doesn't matter. It's the best lead we have right now. Is he in the US?" Jai asked.

"Should be, don't know where else he would go. China and Korea are pretty off limits unless he wants to risk getting kidnapped, dragged back to North Korea and executed. Doesn't the CIA keep track of people like him? If not, that's not very smart." Oops, she forgot to filter herself on that last comment.

"Of course we do." Joan huffed, slightly insulted.

"Barber, Stu – look him up. See what you can find on his whereabouts." Auggie instructed. The two techies scrambled over to their laptops, which were now set-up at the extra desk in a corner of Auggie's office.

They found it in less than five minutes. According to his file, Mr. Chong was now living in Seattle, Washington with his wife (a nurse) and two kids, working as a project manager for Microsoft. His family had traveled to several states, but there was no international activity. He was a perfectly upstanding citizen who paid his taxes on time and had no trouble with the law except for one speeding ticket.

Auggie squeezed the bridge of his nose. Even if he was in Seattle, Young-Jae could swap IP addresses from all over the world. He didn't seem stupid enough to just hack unencrypted. Auggie racked his brain for any other ways he could uncover the trail but everything kept coming up empty.

Evelyn noticed this as she watched him work. She didn't want to upstage him, but she had an idea. "If I may?" Auggie gestured for her to go on. "Maybe you can try a reverse DNS query traceroute through a backdoor algorithm."

Auggie knew how to perform RDNS queries, traceroutes and backdoor algorithms, but not together. He didn't even know they could be done simultaneously. Reluctantly, he swallowed his pride to ask.

"They can be run concurrently?"

"Yes, but it's tricky."

"Hold on tweedle dorks. Why don't we just pay Mr. Chong a visit? Jai interjected.

"Because it's 11:30pm in the evening. We can't just visit the Chong's in the middle of the night." Joan replied. "Let's carry out our other option for now. Evelyn, what can we get if this algorithm is successful?"

It wasn't just an algorithm, but Evelyn didn't think it was necessary to correct Joan. "Well, we can hopefully uncover the true IP address, link it to GPS coordinates at time of use and possibly garner an ID on the perpetrator."

Joan gave the operation the green light.

"So how do I do it?" Auggie inquired, tilting his head in Evelyn direction.

"In all honesty, I think it would be much quicker if I did it."

Auggie knew this was true. It was extremely difficult and inefficient to verbalize how to perform these tasks, especially when things constantly need to be redirected. "You don't have clearance though. Someone will need to monitor your actions and I can't unless you are able to run the commands from a remote computer. "

Evelyn could feel everyone's eyes on her. "We can try remote."

Stu set up his laptop to remotely access Auggie's. Now Auggie could use his Braille display and reader to "watch" Evelyn's moves.

She sat down at the extra desk and began working. Stu and Barber, along with everyone else watched in awe as her fingers flew over the keys, pulling up all sorts of boxes with coded information. Auggie concentrated on keeping up with her. He had forgotten just how gifted she was. It had been a long time since he had encountered anyone even close to his caliber in the tech arena. Tash was incredible, but she wasn't better than him, Evelyn it seemed, was.

After fifteen minutes of furious key clacking, she stopped. "Vista International Hotel, roughly 2 hours ago. No other suspicious activity that I can see."

Damn she was good. Despite Auggie's jumbled emotions, instead of feeling shown-up, he found himself drawn to her once again. Women that knew their tech seemed to be his Achilles heel.

"Anything else? No ID?" Joan questioned.

Evelyn tried again, just for kicks. "No. Whoever it was hasn't accessed the internet since then and they have some serious security shields up. I can possibly get through them but it would take hours with no guarantee."

In a last ditch effort for the night they tried calling the Vista International to see if Chong was a guest but to no one's surprise, there was no guest under the name Young-Jae Chong. Joan sighed.

"Alright, looks like there's nothing more we can do tonight. Jai, you and Annie will head to Seattle tomorrow morning to pay the Chong's a visit. Evelyn, who are you staying with while you're in town?"

"My brother and his family."

"Ok, since it seems you are of main interest to this hacker, we need to keep an eye on you. We'll take you to your brother's to pick up your things. Tell them you're staying with a girlfriend or whatever they'll believe. I'll get a safe house arranged for you."

"Or she can stay with me." Auggie offered quickly before he could change his mind. "It's only one night, probably better to keep us as centralized as possible." He hoped that sounded as professional and nonchalant as he wanted it to. He heard Jai whisper a skeptical "right…" under his breath.

Joan made eye contact with Evelyn, waiting for a response.

"Uh, that sounds fine." Evelyn replied. She didn't expect that but a part of her was looking forward to spending a little time alone with Auggie. At least she would have a chance to explain what happened between them years ago. She owed him at least that much.

"Great. See everyone first thing tomorrow morning."

After Joan's dismissal, she rang up a half-asleep Annie Walker to inform the agent of her duties for tomorrow. This was supposed to be a simple night. Simple just did not exist at the CIA it seemed.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Warning, long chapter! It just wouldn't end itself lol. There's some implied adult content, but nothing overly graphic. Please review if you like! I didn't get any feedback for the previous chapter so I hope that doesn't mean y'all didn't like it. Let me know! Please :)

**Disclaimer:** no ownage

* * *

Chapter 8

It was 11:30pm and Annie's TV was slowly lulling her to sleep. She was just about to nod off again when her cell phone rang and she jerked awake. She shook her groggy head and blinked several times to clear her vision. _Why was Joan calling her so late? Did something happen to Auggie? _She thought with slight panic.

"Yes Joan?"

She listened as Joan informed her of what had happened tonight and what was required of her for tomorrow. Searching for a hacker in gloomy Seattle, with Jai, how fun. At least Auggie was ok. When their conversation ended, Annie placed her phone back on the nightstand, flipped off the TV and burrowed into her plush covers, hoping for a few solid hours of sleep.

* * *

As the sliding gray door to Auggie's apartment clicked closed, Evelyn found herself standing in an immaculate bachelor's pad. One word came to mind: minimalistic. A black leather sofa, white oblong coffee table, lamps hung above tables or shelves, and everything was neutral – no color. She softly laughed at herself. For some reason she half expected to walk into Auggie's apartment at MIT. College boy chic she had called it. He wasn't a slob, but not exactly neat. His couch littered with computer magazines, textbooks and the odd video game controller; the coffee table displaying a scattered array of a couple bowls and cups, and maybe a bag of chips closed but not put away – and Luke Skywalker in a battle stance up on the wall.

"Something funny?" Auggie asked as he swung his messenger bag off his shoulder and dropped it on one of the loveseats before turning around and leaning back against the chair.

"Oh, uh-I was thinking about your apartment when we were at MIT. It's silly, but I kind of thought I might be walking into it again. Guess you've moved on to grown man chic."

Auggie cracked a smile. "Or blind man chic." He joked, without thinking. Why did he say that?

"Maybe both…" He heard her reply quietly. He could tell she was slightly uncomfortable with the random burst of self-deprecating humor and it made for an awkward silence.

Evelyn still hadn't really come to terms with the fact that he was blind. Watching Auggie move around so confidently and perform his work just as fluidly, made it easy to forget.

Auggie heard her shuffling closer until she was, he deduced, right in front of him. He tilted his head, curious as to what she was doing. Suddenly he felt arms surround him, capturing him in an emotional embrace. He was stunned for a few seconds before returning the gesture. Her body was warm against his and her steady breathing was oddly calming. She slowly let go and Auggie had to stop himself from pulling her back.

"I'm sorry about never contacting you. It's complicated, but I want a chance to explain, if you'll let me." She said softly, hope permeating her words.

It was hard for him to refuse. Yes, it still pained him to be reminded of what she had done, but he knew secrets had to be kept from loved ones while working for the CIA. Her presence was also reminding him why he had fallen in love with her. She was strong, sexy and intelligent but at the same time gentle and funny.

"Alright."

Evelyn smiled gratefully but when she realized Auggie wouldn't see it, touched his arm instead to express her appreciation.

"Thank you. Do you mind if I change first? These heels are killing me."

He nodded sympathetically. As she scurried off to change, Auggie rubbed his face and ran his hands through his hair before ambling over to the couch, tux still on.

* * *

Evelyn slipped out of her dress and stockings into a navy blue v-neck tee and flannel shorts. Treading as lightly as possible, she made her way to the bedroom doorway and stood silently, secretly observing Auggie. He had shed the black jacket and bowtie and was sitting on the couch, leaning forward, legs apart and arms resting on his thighs while his hands fidgeted with his folded cane. She didn't know if they'd ever meet again and hadn't expected to. Evelyn knew she had broken his heart and after debating whether she should try and find him once she got back to the states, decided it was probably best to stay in each other's pasts; so much for that.

She joined him on the couch a couple minutes later, hugging her legs to her chest before speaking. Once she started, everything spilled out.

"I didn't want to leave you, but I felt like this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I thought we could stay in touch, be friends and when I came back we could meet up again and see where things would go from there…but the work was so dangerous, I just couldn't risk…I just couldn't risk someone hurting you to get to me…I know I broke your heart August…" her voice waivered, as tears pooled in her eyes "but I broke mine too…you probably hate me, I would hate me…but I'm not looking for forgiveness though, I just want you to know why… I should've just retracted my acceptance and stayed with you…" She sniffled and wiped at her eyes.

Auggie did suffer from Evie's unexpected abandonment, but being a guy, he dealt with those emotions by diving full force into his research project instead to try and forget about her. It failed. He thought about her every day, almost constantly. When it started to affect his work, Auggie finally made himself lock up those feelings, but one person held the key and that person was sitting just a few inches from him. He hadn't known then, but now he did. She never wrote because she wanted to protect him, because she loved him. He couldn't stay mad at her.

Auggie reached out and pulled her in next to him; hugging her shoulder as she burrowed into his side, sniffling frequently. From her sniffs and shuddering breaths, he knew she was desperately trying to keep herself from balling. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you Evie." He whispered into her hair before kissing the top of her head.

These first signs of affection overwhelmed Evelyn with emotion and her arms that circled his waist squeezed a little tighter. After all that he's been through, she was surprised he let her stay the night, let alone comfort her as she apologized. For all that had been altered, the two of them, at their core, were still very much the same.

* * *

"I'm really sorry August, for everything, I'm sorry…" She said, her voice slightly muffled by Auggie's shirt.

"Hey…" He said softly as he leaned back, separating her face from his body.

She looked up as he crooked his index finger under her chin. His chocolate eyes tried to meet hers, but their gaze rested somewhere on her forehead. Her chest tightened, he really couldn't see.

"I'm sorry too. I could've tried harder to convince you to stay. But we can't change the past Evie." This was true about what happened between them, but it was true about many other things too; like the loss of his sight.

The electricity between them was palpable, an intense mixture of longing, regret, love and sadness.

"I've missed you, so much…" She had wanted to tell him that much earlier, but she couldn't until now.

Without thinking, Auggie drew her into a kiss. It was tentative at first, but the flood gates had been opened and soon they were nearly clawing at each other out of need, desperation and desire. He flipped Evelyn onto her back and their lips and tongues danced as his warm and strong hands slipped under her shirt and up her back sending shivers down her spine. She could feel his muscles flexing. That shirt had to come off, and with that conclusion, her dexterous hands flew forward and started to undo each button.

* * *

God he had missed her. She felt so right in his arms, and now Evie's familiar delicate frame was pinned underneath him, furiously unbuttoning his shirt. He nipped at her ear and she gasped, her fingers pausing briefly. When their mouths returned to each other, she had finished and was now yanking his shirt out and off. He had no idea where it went, but he didn't care. Her top followed suit and their bare skin hummed with every touch.

In this moment of pure bliss, Auggie's mind convinced him he was his 20-year old self again, in the arms of the love of his life. But as he opened his eyes reflexively, expecting to peer intimately into hers, reality hit him like ton of bricks when instead; there was nothing but a visual void.

He leapt off her, as a crushing sense of inadequacy he hadn't felt since the first couple months after waking up blind at Walter Reed, threatened to consume him.

Evelyn was alarmed by Auggie's extreme change in behavior. She sat up quickly and saw him at the opposite end of the couch, head buried in his hands, breathing heavily. She rushed over and placed a hand on his thigh.

"August what's wrong?" She asked, voice laden with worry. They sat quietly for a moment before he responded.

"What do you think of me?" He asked feebly, eyes pointlessly scanning the darkness for her before turning away again.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think of me, now…"

She was still slightly puzzled, but answered anyway "Well…we haven't seen each other for a very long time. We've both changed but the August I remember, I know he's still in there." She said softly, placing her right hand on his chest. He reached up and held her hand there, his thumb absently caressing her fingers.

"You don't know how hard this has been Eve." He said despairingly, voice full of anguish.

"This…?" She questioned, not quite sure what he was referring to. He was being so vague.

He turned to face her, waving his free hand in front of his eyes. "This."

"Oh sweetheart…" The right words escaped her and he continued.

"I've fought so hard for every bit of independence I have and I've fought to prove myself at the DPD. Most of the time I accept this, but people from my past…they remind me of who I was before and it hits me all over again. Part of me is gone and I can't get it back, Evie. I'm blind, for the rest of my life. I'm never going to be able to see again." He had never told anyone this before, not his government issued shrink, not his family, not a single soul. But now he found himself pouring his heart out to Evelyn. He needed to let it out, it had been bottled inside him for so long, and Evie, he was just connected to her in a way like no one else that it just happened.

Auggie's tears fell, like delicate salty raindrops onto her arm as she tenderly rubbed his back with the other hand. He was never one to cry. Even during trying times, his jaw would just harden and he'd close off. Maybe that had changed through the years, but Evelyn didn't think so. His blindness was seriously causing him distress at a level she couldn't even begin to comprehend and she wanted to just hold him and tell him he didn't need his sight to be complete.

"Hey…" She cooed as she went to lift his face up towards hers. He resisted, embarrassed with the tears trailing down his face and his inability to meet her eyes. She tried again and he conceded, resolving to looking down and away. "You are a brilliant, handsome, and incredibly resilient person. That is who you are. I didn't need to be here to know how hard you've worked. But I know you've succeeded and you should be incredibly proud. I'm incredibly proud of you." She planted a kiss on his forehead before pulling him into a big ol' hug.

"You, August David Anderson, are amazing." She whispered into his ear. He laughed into her hair. She pulled back slightly, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

He wanted to tell her how wonderful she was for dealing with his onslaught of negative feelings in stride and didn't want to let her go, but she maneuvered out of his embrace like a skilled ninja.

"Wait where are you going?"

"Just sit tight. I'm going to get something from my bag."

Evelyn dug around her purple duffle and spotted the device in question wedged between her panties. Pulling it from the unmentionables, she padded back out to the living room and analyzed Auggie's sound system briefly, before hooking up her iPod to his speakers. They crackled to life and she hit play.

Evie sang along as she shimmied back towards Auggie, imaginary microphone in hand.

_Code Monkey get up get coffee__  
__Code Monkey go to job__  
__Code Monkey have boring meeting with boring manager Rob__  
__Rob say Code Monkey very diligent__  
__But his output stink__  
__His code not functional or elegant__  
__What do Code Monkey think__  
__Code Monkey think maybe manager oughta write goddamn login page himself__  
__Code Monkey not say it out loud__  
__Code Monkey not crazy just proud_

His face lit-up with a look of surprised disbelief and he chuckled as he shook his head. Evie knew she had done good. She grabbed both his hands and mock danced with him, still seated on the couch, as she continued with the next verse.

_Code Monkey like Fritos__  
__Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew__  
_

She leaned in and sang the next four lines into his ears.

_Code Monkey very simple man__  
__With big warm fuzzy secret heart__  
__Code Monkey like you__  
__Code Monkey like you_

He was about to pull her in for a kiss, but she was too quick again. He was hauled up off the couch instead. Auggie resisted the silly dancing at first, but her energy and the happy nostalgia that bubbled inside of him quickly broke down his reluctance. Then not only did he find himself dancing like an uninhibited adolescent, but singing the next verse, into Evie's ear as she giggled.

_Code Monkey hang around at front desk__  
__Tell you sweater look nice__  
__Code Monkey offer buy you soda__  
__Bring you cup bring you ice__  
__You say no thank you for the soda 'cause__  
__Soda make you fat__  
__Anyway you busy with the telephone__  
__No time for chat_

When the song ended, they flopped onto the sofa, out of breath from the singing and wild, I don't care how insane I look dancing.

"I can't believe you actually have Code Monkey on your iPod."

"You can take the girl out of the nerd, but you can't take the nerd out of the girl."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Yes it does."

Auggie rolled his eyes. He decided not to argue and leaned over, planting one on her temple.

He hadn't freely enjoyed himself that much in a long time. Code Monkey by Jonathan Coulton was their secret song. Being computer science dweebs, they found it ridiculously hilarious and played it during all sorts of occasions; out of boredom, on repeat for the purposes of annoyance, to cheer each other up on bad day. He became her Code Monkey (she generally called him Monkey for short) and she was his Pretty Girl.

All the insecurity and misery he felt earlier had melted away after that impromptu geek out. She might not know him as well as she did 8 years ago, but what she did know and remember, was enough.

"Thank you."

Evelyn returned the affection, pecking him on the cheek.

"So, what does Code Monkey think?"

"Code Monkey thinks pretty girl needs to be in code monkey's bed." He said with a smirk. They were both still shirt-less.

"Really?" Evie managed to reply between kisses.

"Uh-huh." And he lifted her up in one fell swoop, catching her off guard. Evie squealed, and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.

He laid her down gently on his bed, and then slid in next to her. Their hands raked through each other's hair as their mouths and bodies intertwined. Auggie unhooked her bra as he left a trail of wet kisses down her neck while Evie's hands madly tugged at his pants. Soon, every article of clothing had disappeared. Evie was arching, purring and gasping as his hands and mouth explored every part of her and Auggie, aroused by her pleasure and her reciprocation, let out animalistic guttural moans in response. It was almost 3am when they both finally fell asleep, tucked in each other's arms, physically and mentally exhausted, but content.

* * *

**A/N: **I had the idea of Evie cheering him up with a classic nerd/geek song, but didn't really know any. I came across Code Monkey and thought it was perfect! If you're interested in hearing the whole thing, just search for it on youtube :) Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long to get written! I had a nasty cold all of last week so I just sat in bed and watched movies and tv and drank gallons of tea. This one was kind of a toughy to write too. I couldn't figure out how to end it. Hope it's ok. Let me know what you think! I loves me some reviews :)

**Disclaimer: **as usual, i do not own

* * *

Chapter 9

6:50am! Buzz, Beep! 6:50am! Buzz, Beep!

Evelyn groaned and rolled out from under Auggie's heavy arm. She sleepily swatted at his talking alarm clock, finally making contact after a couple attempts and it stopped shouting. Not even four hours of rest, yippee. Auggie was still fast asleep next to her, guess he was really pooped. She gathered up the covers around her body and stared up at the ceiling, running through everything that had happened last night. Was that just a one-time long lost lovers' reunion kind of thing, or was it something more? Could it be something more? She honestly had no idea. His alarm clock started to scream the time again, it was now 6:55am, and Evelyn batted her current thoughts away before striking the wailing thing quiet. This time Auggie stirred, but he still didn't register as awake. In an attempt to avoid an awkward morning in bed (how would they going to greet each other? Like a one-night stand? Like a couple? She didn't want to find out), Evelyn quietly slipped out from under the sheets.

The cool air raised goosebumps on her clothing-less body. She located her flannel shorts and bra and pulled them on before scampering out to the living room in search of her navy tee. Where did the darn thing go? Too cold to look anymore, she wrapped herself up in Auggie's white tuxedo shirt instead. It smelled just like him, woodsy, spicy and faintly tangy. She smiled, some things never change. As she entered back into the bedroom she saw that Auggie was finally awake. He was sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning sleeping beauty."

Auggie started slightly before realizing who it was. He gazed in her general direction.

"What time is it?"

"Well, according to your very loud and very annoying alarm, 7:00am."

Auggie groaned and slinked back down onto the bed "Ugh…"

Evelyn sat down near the edge of the bed and hovered over him. "Well since you're still lying in bed, I'm going to commandeer your bathroom."

He laughed, sat up again and laid his hand affectionately against her head. His eyes searched for hers, but landed around her nose. "Ok. Thanks for being everything I needed last night."

This caught her by surprise and Evelyn hoped she wasn't blushing. All she could do was nod her acknowledgement, words were failing her.

He patted her shoulder and nudged her towards the bathroom. "Don't take too long in there. We gotta leave at oh-800 and I still need to shower."

"Yessir." She was grateful for the change of subject.

* * *

As the bathroom door click closed, Auggie rolled out of bed and shuffled over to his closet. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants before going out to the kitchen to brew some coffee. _Maybe I'll make some eggs for us too. _He paused at that thought. _Us? _He brushed it away as quickly as it had come.

The coffee machine just started to gurgle when someone began rapping forcefully on his door. _Who could it be at this time of day? _

"Auggie? Are you there?" Annie's bubbly voice called out. _Oh my god, Annie? _He froze.

Annie knocked again. "Auggie? You should be awake by now."

He gathered himself up and quickly traipsed the distance between the kitchen and the entrance. Running his hand along the edge of the door he made contact with the lock and unbolted it. The door slid open.

"Annie. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well good morning to you to."

"Sorry, long night."

"So I've heard. Anyway, I just wanted to stop by before heading off to Sunny Seattle with Jai. You gonna let me in?"

He didn't really know what to do, but found himself instinctively moving aside as she walked in. This might work out. Annie had to leave soon for the airport and Evelyn was in the bathroom. Hopefully they'd perfectly miss each other. Hopefully.

He heard the barstool creak as Annie sat down.

"Do you want some coffee? Just made it." He offered.

"Nah. I'll just grab some at the airport. Can't stay long anyway." He nodded. _Thank god._ "So, I can't believe someone was able to hack into your computer Aug."

"Yeah, me neither. The sooner we find out who and why, the better."

"And we think it's this Yung-Jae Chong?"

"It's the best lead we've got."

* * *

Annie eyed Auggie suspiciously. Their conversations, even CIA related ones, were usually interspersed with playful banter. Today, that was absent – well at least from his end. Something was definitely on his mind. She also noticed how he hesitated to let her in.

"Well, hopefully Jai and I can get some answers." Annie was about to ask him if anything was wrong when she heard a noise coming from his bedroom. It looked like Auggie heard it too because his body stiffened. A woman's voice filled the air followed by her appearance in the doorway.

"Hey August, there's no more soa..p…" Her voice trailed off when she realized Auggie wasn't alone.

Crap. Well that plan failed. What to do now?

"Uh…Annie, this is Evelyn Li. Evelyn, this is Annie Walker." He said as nonchalantly as possible.

Evelyn waved and smiled awkwardly. "Hi."

"Hey." Annie replied, looking her up and down. It made Evelyn feel like she had done something questionable, which she was pretty sure she hadn't.

"You know, I'll, I'll just go find it myself." She gestured choppily before disappearing back into his bedroom. Why did Annie appear to be emanating disappointment and disapproval? She closed the bathroom door, but didn't go inside. Eavesdropping was bad, but her curiosity got the better of her and Evelyn snuck quietly closer to the doorway to listen.

"So that's Evelyn." Annie stated dryly.

"Yeah."

"I thought your op with her was suspended."

"It is."

"Then what is she doing here?" Annie asked incredulously.

"I just let her stay the night." Evelyn grimaced, he said that a tad too defensively.

"Stay the night? Did you sleep with her?" Did she detect a slight jealous undertone in Annie's questioning?

"Annie…" Auggie pleaded.

"Are you trying to pull another Liza Hearn?" Liza Hearn? Who was Liza Hearn, and what did he pull with her?

"No! I mean…can we talk about this later?"

"I got a plane to catch. Sorry I dropped by unexpectedly. " She said, sounding hurt. Evelyn heard the muffled clicks of Annie's heels as she went to leave. Auggie said something, but she couldn't make it out. She quickly tip-toed back to the bathroom, hoping the noise from Auggie's door sliding open and closed would mask any she made.

* * *

Annie was upset and it was his fault. He didn't deny sleeping with Evelyn and really, that's all it took for her to know that he did. He also told her Evelyn being here wasn't an op, well in not so many words. Even if he lied and said he was pulling another Liza Hearn, she still would've been upset. She knew him too well, there was no good answer. Well it's not like she knew the whole story, and it's not like they were a couple anyway. They were just friends with budding feelings – well his feelings were a little jumbled at the moment. Why was his love life always so g-damn complicated?

"August? I'm done." Evie called. He pushed off the counter he was leaning on and made his way back to his room. He told her to help herself to the fresh coffee, and that eggs and cereal were available in the kitchen before taking his turn in the shower. Maybe some hot water would help clear his mind.

* * *

Auggie was confusing her. Didn't they just confess liking each other a few weeks ago? She wouldn't put executing another Liza Hearn type op past him, but something was telling her it wasn't one of his schemes. Evelyn was gorgeous too, like a flawless porcelain china doll. Not that it should be an issue, Auggie was blind, but for some reason it just did. She silently wished he was just playing Evelyn because the other option, if true, was just too much to bear.

Her mood wasn't lost on Jai as they boarded the plane.

"Ok, something's bugging you."

"What? No, just didn't get much sleep…"

"Right, and my dad isn't Henry Wilcox. Wanna talk about it? We got a few hours." Jai offered as he stuck his and Annie's carry-ons into the overhead compartment.

Annie sighed, why not? Maybe he could provide some insight; he was with them last night, right? "I stopped by Auggie's apartment this morning. Evelyn was there."

"Oh…well, he did offer to let her stay the night."

"I think they did more than just sleep…"

"What makes you think that?"

"Oh I don't know, the fact she walked out of the bathroom in nothing but his dress shirt, or maybe how he didn't deny it." Annie spat, clearly hurt.

"I'm sorry Annie. Maybe there's an explanation for all of it. Come to think of it, I do remember Auggie muttering something about Evelyn being an ex-girlfriend?" Just as he said it Jai realized how stupid it was to mention that tid-bit of information_. Great explanation to help Annie feel better_, _fail Jai, fail._

"Ex-girlfriend? Great, that makes it so much better!" Annie exclaimed sarcastically. "My luck with men is just awesome." Now Evelyn's looks became more of an issue. Auggie knew her before and Annie doubted Miss Li had gotten any cosmetic work done. Did she stand a chance against an old-flame and porcelain princess? Would she really fight for him if he picked Evelyn? If it made Auggie happy, who was she to try and wreck it?

"Maybe it will change if you pick a certain dashing half-Indian operative instead." Jai said as he leaned in and winked.

Annie shot Jai an "are you serious?" look before she nudged him aside, letting a small smile escape. Maybe it was a good idea to talk to over with Jai, despite his over flirtatiousness, the man cared about her and unexpectedly, had become a friend.

* * *

Tech ops was buzzing with activity when Auggie and Evelyn arrived. They were both oddly grateful for the work ahead. Neither of them had broached the subject of last night past Auggie's thank you when they had woken up and Annie's unexpected appearance didn't help. They just danced around the big elephant in the room, Evelyn eating while he showered and him eating while she dolled up in the bathroom.

They took turns briefly greeting everyone before getting down to business. Joan gave a run-down of Jai and Annie's mission while in Seattle along with some other things and then Auggie sat down, snapped on his earpiece and went straight to work. Evelyn just stood quietly off to his side, absently watching him do his thing – he was still trying to find the source of the hack while they waited.

Jai and Annie were due to arrive in Seattle in less than an hour. Hopefully they'll find something useful.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: ** Sorry, sorry, sorry! This chapter was such a pain to write, I don't know why. That coupled with Xmas & New Years Eve made it take extra long. I'm still not too satisfied with it, but I guess it's just more of a set-up chapter, maybe? Anyway, here it is. I think there will be about 1-2 more chapters left after this.

Oh, if anyone's interested in how I imagine Evelyn to look, there's a link in my profile. The actress is Li Bing Bing.

**Reviews help me chug along, so if you haven't yet I'd appreciate your input. Especially those who have favorite or story alerted, I'd really love to hear what you think. Thanks to all who have reviewed and shown this piece some love so far!

Happy New Year!

**Disclaimer:** alas, not mine

* * *

Chapter Ten

Pounding a rhythmic cadence on the floor to ceiling glass windows of the airport lobby, the rain was matching Annie's mood. She had never been a fan of it as it made everything more difficult to do, not to mention made everything wet and her hair frizzy, but she really could really use some sun right now.

Jai glanced over at her, lost in thought, staring at the water spattered windows, and heard her sigh.

"What did you expect? It's Seattle." Jai responded as he gave the Hertz clerk his confirmation number.

"Well…it can't rain all the time." Annie replied.

"It's not always gloomy here, contrary to popular belief." The overly cheery sales clerk chimed in.

"Guess we'll have to take your word for it." Jai responded as the clerk handed him a set of keys.

At least the area where they kept rental cars was covered and they wouldn't have to brave the precipitation until arriving at the Chong's home. Annie hoped they wouldn't have to put up with it at all, silently praying for it to subside by then.

As the two of them cruised along in the blue Prius, GPS chiming in every so often, Annie was in awe of the luscious landscape, despite the rain. Majestic evergreens, snowcapped mountains, shrubs and brightly colored flowers, it had quite the calming effect. She was so mesmerized by all the natural beauty Jai had to call her name out twice before she noticed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. The scenery is just incredible…" She said, still amazed.

"Yeah, it is something isn't it?" He hadn't seen so much green in a while.

"I'll say."

"So, Miss Rachel Warner, we're almost there. You ready?" Jai teased, using her cover name.

"Yep, let's do this Mr. Dev Singh." Annie replied cheekily.

Jai jumped off the 520 and they made their way into a nice suburban neighborhood. A minute later the blue Prius entered a quiet cul de sac and pulled into the driveway of a modest ivory paneled house with brick red trim. The front yard was small but well manicured and it only took them a few steps to reach the door. The rain had actually abated and they were both grateful, Annie especially.

She looked over at Jai in his red polo and dark wash jeans and then took a glance at her own attire; flats, khakis and a three-quarter sleeve cardigan over a plain tee. It was strange working a mission in such casual clothing but they were supposed to be Young-Jae's new co-workers and Microsoft had a casual dress code. They had to look the part and she didn't mind being in something more comfortable than the usual pant or skirt suit and towering louboutins.

Jai rang the doorbell and they could hear the chime echo inside the house. According to the hospital Young-Jae's wife worked at, her shift didn't start until 3pm so she should be home. A minute or two later there was a shuffling of feet and clicking of locks. A petite Korean woman in a gray velour sweatsuit opened the door. She eyed them suspiciously and kept the screen door closed.

"Can I help you?" She asked in a slight Korean accent.

"Hi, Mrs. Chong? I'm Rachel Warner and this Dev Singh. We work with your husband at Microsoft." Annie responded cheerfully, getting right into character.

"We were wondering if he'd like to join us for breakfast." Jai added.

From the incredulous look on Mrs. Chong's face they knew she wasn't quite comfortable having two strangers at her front door claiming to work with her husband.

"Ah I'm sorry. My husband is not home." She made a motion to reach for the door to close it, but Annie, thinking fast, spoke up before she could.

"Oh! Did he head to the office already?"

"Ah…no." She paused to contemplate whether or not divulging more information was a good idea. "He is away for a conference."

"I thought that was next week? Is he in Washington DC? Jai asked.

"Yes..." The fact that they had an idea of where he was seemed to put her more at ease.

"Huh…we must've gotten the dates mixed up. That's not good. I was supposed to meet with him about the glitch issues before the presentation on Thursday. Shoot. I'm sorry Mrs. Chong, do you know how I can reach your husband in DC?" Annie asked, hoping her act was convincing enough.

The petite woman's eyes darted from Jai to Annie before she disappeared from view for a quick second and then appeared again, pen and pad of post-its in hand. She scribbled something down, peeled off the sheet and unlocked the screen door so she could hand the paper to Annie.

* * *

Across the country in Tech Ops, everyone was listening in on this conversation between Jai, Annie and Young-Jae's wife.

"His hotel phone number. I can't guarantee he will pick up though." Auggie heard Mrs. Chong say.

"Oh, that's ok. Thank you so much. We're sorry to have bothered you this morning, have a good day." Annie replied.

When Jai and Annie were back in the privacy of their rental car, Auggie assumed from the slamming shut of multiple doors, her voice crackled in his ear.

"We've got something. Hotel and room phone number." Annie finally decided to talk. Hopefully this was a sign that she wasn't quite so mad with him anymore.

"Awesome. Let's hear it."

"We were on the right track last night. He's at the Vista International. Area code 202-448-1800 extension 5660." Jai interjected.

"Good job." Joan tells them as she considers the next step. Obviously with the new information they could easily figure out which room Young-Jae was in and try to apprehend him for questioning, but who could she send off to the hotel? He seemed harmless according to records and Evelyn's recollection, but people are not always as they seem.

Time is always of the essence at the CIA and Annie and Jai were still in Seattle. It would take them at least a couple hours to get back. They couldn't all just sit here idly waiting. She glanced over at Auggie typing away and Evelyn, leaning on his desk watching. Those two were probably the best operatives she had ever come across but one was now blind and the other wasn't even employed by the agency anymore. Go figure. Plus it would be careless of her to even consider Evelyn; she was the object of this hacker's interest after all.

"Joan. He should be in room 660." Auggie called out. "Who're we sending in?" Auggie was always on top of things. Despite his annoying disregard for chain of command sometimes.

"Annie, Jai – Barber will be arranging for your flight back to DC ASAP. He'll update you once it's all set." She glared at Barber, who immediately got up and went to work on his laptop.

"Auggie, check if there has been any recent activity since last night."

* * *

"That's not going to work."

Evie's voice startled Auggie and his fingers paused. She had barely said a word since they arrived in Tech Ops this morning and he almost forgot she was standing so near. She scooted closer, leaning towards his screen, and consequently, him as well. So much for being in the zone and momentarily forgetting his relationship woes.

"Did you catch that re-direct command? It's back a couple lines." She whispered, trying not to call his oversight to anyone's attention.

Auggie scrolled back and found what Evie was referring to. Damn. How'd he miss that? He thanked her quietly and felt her pat his right arm briefly in response before returning to her original post.

Recalling from yesterday how Evie uncovered the elusive encrypted IP, Auggie went straight to work using her method, scrapping his previous venture.

How many other things had he missed before? He was good at his job, practically unmatched, and yet here was Evie, with a brilliance that gave him a serious run for his money. She was making him doubt his prowess but he felt a need to impress her, prove to her that he was a formidable whiz kid too.

"This morning, a couple hours ago, there was access to information regarding the Bloomingdale area." Well look at that. How many people could perform a complex multi-platform algorithm they had only seen done once before, successfully and on the first try?

"Bloomingdale? My brother lives there…" Evelyn said, worried and completely oblivious to Auggie's achievement. Guess it was going to be a silently victory.

"Ok, we need to get to the Vista now. Hopefully he's still there. We'll send a couple agents to your brother's home as a precaution. Since Jai and Annie won't be back anytime soon, Conrad you're going in on this one." Joan ordered.

* * *

What in the world was Young-Jae up to? Why was he looking up Bloomingdale? Did he get himself involved with something bad? What did she have to do with anything? All these questions raced through Evelyn's head. She remembered Young-Jae as a soft-spoken, caring man who was beside himself with worry about the illegal measures he had taken against the North Korean government. He was just a lowly technician for the "Supreme Leader" that accidentally discovered information which unsettled him, but it also gave him hope. He saw it as his chance to flee the destitution that was life above the 38th-parallel.

She knew there was absolutely no way Joan was going to let her go with Conrad to find him, but Evelyn couldn't just hang out in Tech Ops while these agents she didn't even know, hunted him down. She knew Young-Jae was a good man, even if he might've gotten mixed up in something unscrupulous.

"Joan? Can I be excused for a moment? Had a little too much coffee this morning."

Joan nodded and Evelyn walked out of Tech Ops and through the doors of the DPD towards the restrooms in the main hall, all the while covertly assessing her surroundings. Sneaking out of the CIA was going to be tricky, but she had weaseled out of similarly secured places before.

Evelyn punched the keys on her blackberry as she bounced along in the passenger side of the taxi cab. "Stomach not feeling well. Might be in here for a while : ( text me if u need ne thing." Hopefully her message to Auggie would prevent them from getting suspicious about why she was taking so long in the john.

It was little more complicated than she had expected, and she was a slightly rusty from being out of practice, but nevertheless Evelyn was able to slink her way out of Langley unnoticed, for the time being. She had shrugged off her blazer before the cab arrived and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders instead. Now, as they neared the Vista International, Evelyn shook her hair out of the ponytail it was in, applied some plum colored lipstick and donned a pair of sunglasses. Hopefully the crude disguise would be enough for her purposes.

* * *

As Conrad rolled the service cart down the 6th floor hallway, he hoped the black too-short dress pants and overly snug white dress shirt with accompanying vest, wouldn't rip and pop open like he was the incredible hulk. At least he didn't_ look_ as completely ridiculous as he felt. Being extremely tall and muscular was very rarely a negative thing, but at this moment, it was since they apparently didn't make these uniforms in tall.

He slowed down the squeaky cart as the number 660 came into view. He knocked politely and waited like a good…what did they call these room service people anyway? Room service delivery men? After several moments, the heavy door slowly opened and a middle-aged, slightly balding, Korean man with glasses popped his head out.

"Room service."

"Ah…I did not order room service."

"Are you sure?" Conrad picked up the fake request on the cart, looking confused. "It says room 660." He said, showing the order to Young-Jae.

"That must've been a mistake."

"Oh. Sorry about that. May I borrow your phone so I can notify concierge?" Conrad hoped the man wasn't going to refuse.

"Um, ok sure."

Conrad thanked him and quickly scanned the room as he stepped inside, searching for the phone. It sat on a desk in the right hand corner of the room. He picked up the receiver, punched some random numbers and pretended to speak with concierge about the mix-up. Young-Jae stood next to the bed, watching. After hanging up, Conrad approached Young-Jae, all smiles before swiftly catching the Korean man's right arm in his.

"I'm sorry Mr. Chong, you're going to have to come with me."

Young-Jae's eyes widened in fright and he panicked. Faster than Conrad could react, Young-Jae grabbed his laptop bag with his free hand and smacked Conrad in the head with it.

"Son of a bit…" He didn't even get a chance to finish the profanity before he was kicked hard in the shin and fell to the floor. Reflexively, he let go of Young-Jae's arm and the surprisingly nimble Asian man bolted for the door. Conrad hobbled after him, screaming into his earpiece.

"He ran into the hallway! Fucking kung-fu'ed my ass."


	11. Chapter 11

**N/A:** Sooo sorry this took me so long! I actually had this written for a few weeks but wanted to make it longer before uploading. However, i'm having some serious writer's block (hence why it is so super short) so instead of making you guys wait another who knows how long, hopefully this will hold you over until the next chappy can come out of my head. I've also been getting situated at a new job which has been taking a lot out of my time and all I want to do when I get home is watch TV and go to sleep, lol.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! As well as any tips on how to get out of this writer's block funk i'm in :)

**Disclaimer:** still don't any CA stuff except for my story line

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Evelyn kept her sunglasses on despite the fact that she was inside. For all she knew, the doorman and the maintenance worker were undercover CIA. She casually sauntered over to the set of elevators across from the front desk and pressed the up arrow. The lift arrived with a ding and thankfully no one else decided to join her. Her feet alternated in tapping the marbled elevator floor, the soft jazzy music and slow ascent was making her antsy.

The car stopped on five. She wanted to prevent the elevator ding from alerting anyone of her arrival on the 6th floor.

* * *

Chet Williams hoped they would be able to apprehend this Young-Jae guy quickly. His stomach was growling. Lunch had consisted of one apple and a bottle of Powerade because that was all he had time for today. He was thankful no one else was in the stairway with him to witness his gastro-cacophony.

As he listened to Conrad pretending to talk to the concierge, he also heard echoes of the door to a lower floor, maybe fifth, creak open and click shut. This was quickly followed by someone clacking up the stairs towards him. Great.

The footsteps were getting louder now and a fashionable woman with dark hair and sunglasses came into view. She finally looked up a couple steps from the sixth floor door. She smiled at him and as she ascended the last step, made a motion for the door.

"I'm sorry, sixth floor is closed at the moment." That was the best he could come up with?

"Why?" The woman asked skeptically.

Chet desperately racked his brain for a plausible explanation, but he didn't need to come up with one because a few seconds later the metal door to the 6th floor flung open almost knocking him and the woman down the stairs. The woman lunged forward, to prevent herself from tumbling down the steps, consequently smashing Chet into the wall. When they both were able to steady themselves again, all he saw was a glimpse of a man running full speed ahead and then Conrad's voice in his ear. Shit, Young-Jae was getting away.

"I'm sorry ma'am; I need to find out what's going on." And with that, Chet disappeared in pursuit.

* * *

Her heart was still beating fiercely from almost falling head first down a flight of concrete stairs. But Evelyn shook herself mentally and quickly assessed the situation. This was not looking good. Young-Jae was now on the run with CIA agents close behind. If he kept this up, the man was going to get himself hurt. She flung off her Jimmy Choos, stuffed them in her purse and made her way down as quickly as she could.

She was a little bit behind the two men and wasn't entirely sure if they had disappeared onto another floor or what, but seeing as there were only pounding footsteps and no echoes of doors slamming so far, it wasn't likely they had deviated from the staircase. At least this was a pursuit downward and not up. That would've been killer.

When she finally reached the ground floor, Evelyn was presented with two options. Go through the door that led to the lobby or the one that led outside. She burst though the second door into a large courtyard and in the middle of the lush green grass was Young-Jae, hands up, surrounded by two armed agents and two undercovers, the doorman and the maintenance guy, unsurprisingly. Her sudden appearance caused every head to turn.

She took her sunglasses off before shouting, "Don't hurt him!"

Young-Jae's eyes went wide with recognition.


	12. Chapter 12

Hi Guys!

So incredibly sorry that this story has been at a stand-still for a few months! I had super writer's block and then got busy with getting a job and then figuring out stuff for school and moving to a new state etc... So finally, here's chapter 12! I think there's about 3 more chapters until the end of this story so we're almost there. Stay with me guys and thanks to all the favorites and follows! As always, reviews are appreciated and loved :)

Disclaimer: the same thing about not owning yada, yada

* * *

CHAPTER 12

"Stop biting your nails Eve."

Evelyn snapped out of her nervous trance, mid bite, and turned to face Auggie who was twirling a pen in his hand.

"I didn't realize nail biting was that loud." She quietly responded as she clasped her hands together on top of her thighs.

Auggie swung his chair in her direction and smiled. "It's not loud; I just knew you'd be doing it. You always bite your nails when you're anxious or nervous. Old habits die hard."

Evelyn laughed and got up from her chair across the room and joined Auggie at his desk, her back against the smooth glass. A warm comforting feeling blossomed in her chest as she gazed at down at him. "Like your pen twirling?" She said.

Auggie grinned and put his pen down before getting up and joining her against his desk. "Yes, like my pen twirling." He playfully nudged her with his elbow. "Don't worry too much. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"I hope so." She was worried. Her meeting with Joan after the stunt she pulled was intense and now that they had Young-Jae, what was to become of him weighed heavily on her.

Auggie wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him, but the intimate moment was short lived as the two sprung apart when the door to Auggie's office slid open. They swung around and were met with Annie and Jai, along with Jai's sarcasm.

"Sorry to interrupt your little cuddling session."

Auggie chose to ignore it. "Good to see you to Jai, back so soon?" He said in mock happiness.

"Well, I hear that our culprit is in custody and although I would've enjoyed spending some more time in the lovely company of Annie here, unlike you, we do have work to do."

Before Auggie could rip Jai a new one, another person, by the name of Joan, appeared in his office.

"Annie, Jai, welcome back. Annie, you don't happen to speak any Korean, do you?"

"Sorry, I never really took to east Asian languages."

"Alright, Auggie, call in…" and before Joan could finish her sentence another agent burst through the door. The party was in tech ops it seemed.

Apparently Young-Jae, who was currently being held in an interrogation room, was refusing to speak to anyone but Evelyn. Joan looked like she could kill a bear. Evelyn had caused enough trouble already and she wasn't even an agent anymore, but it looked like there was no other choice.

"Fine. Evelyn, come with me. Auggie, I want you to get Agent Richard Chow here ASAP for translation. Annie, Jai, I don't need you two yet, but stay around." She stalked out of the room as quickly as she had come, with Evelyn shuffling to keep up behind her.

* * *

Jai, Annie and Auggie stood in an awkward silence once they left.

Annie was the first to speak. "I'm going to take a walk to the break room."

"I'll come with you." Jai replied.

"Um, I'd actually like to go by myself. Sorry."

Although a part of her didn't want to leave Jai and Auggie alone with each other, another part of her did, and was hoping Jai would make him feel horrible for his two-timing. He wasn't exactly cheating on her since they hadn't been dating yet, but a declaration of mutual feelings had to mean something. She felt as good as betrayed.

* * *

Stu was hurrying down the corridor with two coffees in hand, when he thought he saw Annie sitting by the water sculpture, clearly upset. Back tracking, he went to take a better look. Yep, it was Annie. He debated whether or not he should leave her alone and just deliver Aug and Evelyn's caffeine or check in on her. Something in his gut told him the coffee could wait.

"Annie? You ok?"

Annie looked up. "Stu? What're you doing here?"

She didn't look like she had been crying, but her distress was showing through the happy face she was attempting to put on. He had almost failed deception training and detection, so for him to see right through her façade meant something was deeply troubling her.

"I was getting coffee for the boss," He replied, gesturing at the two cups in his hands. "When I thought I saw you in here. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just taking a break, you know?"

Stu walked over to the wooden bench and sat down. "I'm not buying it Annie. I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thanks Stu, but I'd really like to be alone right now."

"Well, do you want a coffee? I'm sure Auggie wouldn't mind if it'll help." He said, offering her one of the cups.

Annie rolled her eyes in disgust. "Oh no, I wouldn't want to deprive him of being in tip-top shape for his new lady friend."

Stu set the coffee back down on the bench. So that's what this was about. Stu really liked Annie and had been trying to get her and Auggie together since her arrival at the DPD, but he also knew about Evelyn and Auggie's past, well, some of it anyway.

"You mean Evelyn? Annie, do you know who she is?"

She looked at Stu like that was the dumbest question in the world. "Yes…Evelyn Li, super ex-spy, wanted back in the CIA."

"That's part of it."

"What's the other part?"

"Auggie would've married her if she hadn't disappeared."

"What?"

"Well, I don't know everything, but Natasha wasn't the only one who had a chokehold on his heart strings. He and I had talked about our past relationships and stuff before and he had mentioned an Evie Yin. I put two and two together. Evelyn's Evie. Anyway, Evie was his college sweetheart, they went to MIT together but she left the country after graduating early and he never heard from her again. I think his exact words were _ I was almost ready to propose to that girl and she springs this shit on me. I've learned it the hard way Stu, so take it from me, don't get so involved. Fun is the way to go._"

Annie just stared at Stu, dumbfounded.

"But, uh, this was way before he met you! Anyway…" Wow, could he try to fumble this up any more? "Listen Annie, I don't know what happened between her disappearing and reappearing as a previous super agent, but there's got to be a lot of old flame and unanswered questions there. I mean, what if Ben Mercer suddenly came back into your life?"

Ben? What if Ben suddenly came back into her life? It _was_ a lot like Auggie and Evelyn, intense love and then disappearing, never to be heard from again. But how was she supposed to know all of this if Stu hadn't been here to explain it? And, would Evelyn return to the Company? What if she did? What would it mean for her friendship and well, previously budding romance with Auggie? She still had feelings for him.

"Annie?"

"Yeah, uh…thanks for telling me Stu. I guess, now that I know more of the story, I don't feel as crappy."

"But still crappy?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"True. Well, I guess I should get a move on with these coffees. Hope they're still hot enough. You ok here?"

"Well they'll just have to deal. I think I'll come with you."

"Oh, ok."

_And I'll just have to deal with whatever comes of all of this._ She told herself and they walked back towards the bull pen and tech ops. There was no point in going crazy over all the what ifs. And besides, Annie Walker is a fighter.


	13. Chapter 13

I'm trying to keep this story updated as much as possible, it's so close to being finished! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: you know the drill :)

* * *

CHAPTER 13

Auggie could feel Jai's disapproving glare coming from the northwest corner of his office. Usually he preferred the hum of ambient noises over Jai's voice, but he also hated a silent presence, especially a negative one.

"If you've got something you want to say to me Wilcox, just say it." He directed to the room.

"I don't have anything to say to you that you don't already know."

"And what is it that I already know?" Auggie asked as he leaned back in his leather chair, crossing his arms.

"Don't act all innocent on me Anderson." Jai started as he left his post in the corner and headed over to Auggie. "Everyone thinks of you as sweet, loveable Auggie" Jai spat condescendingly as he placed his hands on Auggie's desk, leaning in closer. "But sleeping with another woman a mere week after telling Annie you want to be more than friends? There's nothing sweet or loveable about that, even if she's an ex of yours."

Yeah, he knew that was coming, or something along those lines. But it was more complicated than a mere romp in the sheets. It didn't make it right, not by any means, but the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Annie. But Evelyn was not just some random chick he met at the bar, it was just so complicated. The CIA seriously wrecked havoc on his love life.

"Wow, if I didn't know any better I'd actually think you care about Annie." Auggie replied sarcastically as he leaned forward to meet Jai.

"I DO care about Annie, though I can't say the same for you, and as much as you'd like to think otherwise, she and I ARE friends. Good job avoiding the subject, by the way." Jai sneered.

Oh Auggie's blood was boiling now if it wasn't before. Jai had absolutely no right to stick his nose into his business and act like he knew all there was to know, pretending he's so self righteous.

"Don't act you know what I think and how I feel. You don't know the half of it! So get off your high horse and stop trying to be the night in shining armor just because you want to get into her pants!" Auggie was standing now.

Just as Jai was about to retaliate, the glass door to Auggie's office slid open. Though both men were seething, they were also glad for the interruption or who knows what this would've escalated to.

Stu and Annie walked halfway through before stopping in their tracks.

"Are we interrupting something?" Stu questioned with two cups of coffee still in hand.

"No. Took you long enough. Where'd you go to get coffee? Mars?" Auggie chided, relieved to be back in better company.

"No, turns out the Starbucks in Mars is closed. I had to settle for wholesale office drip, and I ran in to Annie on my way back. Coffee at your 10 o'clock."

Auggie took a big sip of joe, now luke warm. Well, warm coffee was better than no coffee.

"Hey, where's Evelyn?" Stu asked.

"In interrogations. Young-Jae won't speak to anyone else."

"Well, I'm going to get myself some coffee. Annie, would you like some?" Jai asked.

"Oh, no I'm fine. Thanks though." And with that Jai walked out of the room.

"Hey, Annie I'm glad you and Jai got back safely and were able to provide us with some useful information." Auggie said, trying to break the ice between them.

"Thanks." She said, a little flatly.

The big elephant in the room was starting to take up more space in Auggie's office and Stu wondered if he should give Annie and Auggie an opportunity to talk. Even if they didn't, at least he'd feel better knowing that he gave them the chance to clear some things up, if they so choose. He didn't like two of his favorite people at odds.

"I gotta use the little boys' room. Just holler if you need me."

"I think Annie's ears would rather I didn't holler for you."

Stu shook his head at that and disappeared out the glass door. _Play nice, you two._ He thought to himself.

* * *

Evelyn didn't think she'd ever be doing this again, interrogating someone, let alone ever back inside Langley. She prayed Young-Jae didn't get himself into as much trouble as it looked like he might have, as she entered the stark, insulated room. Young-Jae looked up and she could see his face light up.

"Evelyn!"

"Hello Young-Jae." She greeted him, in Korean. The metal chair squeaked as she sat down, across the table.

"Evelyn, I am so happy to see you!"

"It's nice to see you again too Young-Jae, but I would've preferred somewhere other than at the CIA."

He sighed apologetically.

"Why were you hacking into our system?"

"You will think it is silly of me, going through all this trouble, but I was looking for you."

"Looking for me? Why?"

"I never truly got to say thank you, show you my gratitude for all your help in getting me out of North Korea and establishing a life here."

Evelyn was shocked and confused. That was it? There had to be more to it. "Young-Jae, that is a lot of work, _illegal work_, you did just to find me and say thank you. You have to tell me the truth. All of it, or else I can't help you. This can be considered an act of treason. I don't think I need to tell you how serious that is."

A look a fright flashed across his face and then dejection. "I come from a small village in North Korea. We believe that if we do not give thanks to those who have helped us in life, our spirits will fall ill. I thought prayers of thanks would be enough, but recently I begin to lose appetite, not able to sleep. Doctors say nothing wrong, too much stress at work. I need to relax. But I know it is not stress from work. I feel my spirit unwell and realize I must find you. You help me so much, but I not thank you in the right way. I was not thinking about treason, about consequences of getting caught. I thought I get into North Korean government computer system before so I can get into American system no problem. I did not think system so highly encrypted and protected."

He probably could've gotten away with it with the skills he had, but unfortunately for Young-Jae, Auggie was head of tech ops.

"Treason…" He whispered before burying his face in his hands. "I should not have been so careless, so overconfident, what is going to happen to me? To my family?" Young-Jae looked like he was about to break down in tears. It really seemed like saying thanks to her was what all this was about and nothing more. Evelyn was not a religious person but she had seen enough in her life to know that those who believe devoutly in their faiths sometimes do seemingly stupid, incomprehensible things in the perspective of an outsider. There had to be a way to help him. She looked over at the one way mirror on the wall with pleading eyes before getting up.

She placed a gentle hand on Young-Jae's arm. "First things first, I believe you Young-Jae and I will make sure we try our hardest to clear you, but I can't make any guarantees. Let me talk to the CIA and see what can be done."

"I understand, thank you Evelyn. Thank you. I just seem to give you lots of trouble, I am sorry."

"Don't be. Just sit tight, ok?" And with that she gave his arm a squeeze and left the room.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **2nd to last chapter! I start school on Monday so I'm going to try my hardest to get the last and final chapter up before then because if I don't, it's going to be a while and I don't want to do that to you guys who have been following my story! I really appreciate all the reviews and favs it really means a lot! I'm so happy it's been so well received :)

**Disclaimer:** Don't own CA

* * *

CHAPTER 14

"It's a good thing Stu doesn't have to go out in to the field often, if at all. His attempts at being sly are way too obvious. Little boys' room? Come on." Auggie joked, hoping to ease the tension between the two of them.

Annie knew what Auggie was trying to do. He often used humor to ease uncomfortable situations. Though she was on to his tricks, they still worked on her anyway. She moved away from the glass doors and took her usual perch against his desk.

"At least we know he cares." Annie began. "He told me about you and Evelyn." She saw his eyes narrow, a silent _what are you getting at?_ "How you almost married her?" She added.

"This is why I told you we'd talk later." Auggie replied, slightly annoyed.

"Later? Why couldn't you just tell me what was going on instead of letting me sit angry with you all day!"

"And when exactly did I have time to tell you? While you stormed out of my apartment this morning? On your flight to Seattle? Wait, so…does this mean you're not angry with me anymore?"

"What? No! I mean, I'm still…I'm still upset Auggie, but I can kind of understand…"

"Ben?"

Annie looked away, even though it didn't matter. "Yeah…" she whispered.

Auggie reached for her hand, putting it between both of his. She wanted to just pull away, but part of her also welcomed the affection and she gave in to the later part of her feelings. Plus, acting that angsty wouldn't help the situation, right? Right.

"Listen Annie, I care about you and if I hurt you, you have to know that I didn't mean to. This is just really complicated right now and we still have a case to finish. We'll talk, once this is all over. I promise."

Mixed emotions danced across Annie's face as she looked at the man who had won her heart, the man who was also in the company of his almost fiancé, who from the looks of it, still had a part of his. She knew that he'd keep his promise to talk to her but there were just so many what ifs it made her feel a little sick. What if Evelyn ends up working for the CIA again? If given the chance, would Auggie and Evelyn pursue that relationship, that union that they didn't get a chance to? How would she feel if that happened? Could she and Auggie still be friends? She gently pulled her hand out from his.

"Ok." She said, quietly.

* * *

Evelyn and Joan made their way back to Auggie's office, but the two women sensed something was amiss. Through his glass doors, Evelyn saw Annie looking solemn in the back corner and Auggie clearly preoccupied with something none to joyous either.

"This a bad time?" Joan asked as she entered the room, though clearly not caring either way.

Both Auggie and Annie started a little at her sudden appearance.

"No, not at all. Think we're all just tired." Auggie said.

_Riigghtt…_Evelyn thought to herself. There was definitely something else going on, but now was not the time to try and figure out what it was. The laptop Joan was holding made a soft thud as she placed it on Auggie's desk. "Got a job for you Mr. Anderson."

"Oh?"

"This is Young-Jae's laptop. Confiscated from him the moment he was caught. You are allowed free reign to search the whole thing for any signs of malicious intent. Notify me the moment you finish. Where's Jai?"

"He went to get coffee." Annie replied.

"Well, once he returns I want the two of you in my office for debriefing, but knock first. Ms. Li and I have matters to discuss." And with that the two women left the room.

Auggie was glad Evelyn and Annie wouldn't be left in his office together. It would've made it harder for him to concentrate on the task at hand. He flipped open Young-Jae's laptop, and by feel, deftly stuck various wires into it before getting started. Annie watched in silent awe. He just never ceased to amaze her.

* * *

"Action likes to follow you Evelyn." Joan stated as she stood behind her desk.

Evelyn leaned back in her chair. "And this is why I don't want to come back." She said, tiredly.

"We wouldn't have gotten this far in this case without you."

"You wouldn't even have this case if it wasn't BECAUSE of me." Evelyn laughed.

"Though that may be true, you are still a superb field agent especially with the knowledge that you have. The company would love to have you back helping us."

"After all of this you're still going to try and convince me to come back to the CIA? I must be really special…"

"You're not considering it, are you?"

* * *

Auggie had just finished the sweep of Young-Jae's laptop and Joan and Evelyn were en route to find out the results. As they entered tech ops, the news looked good from the way Auggie was grinning.

"So Auggie, what'd you find?" Joan asked.

"Nothing treasonous. No hidden correspondence, no suspicious internet searches. Only thing very apparent is his intense effort in trying to locate Evelyn. Which by the way, no one has told me why this isn't a problem."

"Good work Auggie, looks like we have some good news to share with Mr. Chong."

* * *

Everyone was exhausted and when finally, the last few things had been wrapped up and finalized, it was time to go home. Evelyn was ecstatic for Young-Jae, who couldn't stop thanking her and Joan and couldn't decide whether he should laugh or cry and ended up just spouting a weird mixture of both. He had been whisked off to the airport for the next flight back to Seattle, but not without making sure Evelyn knew she was welcome at his home anytime.

Annie and Jai had already left and Evelyn was now just waiting for Auggie to finish gathering his things.

"You're awfully quiet." Auggie said.

"Just tired, it's been a long day."

Auggie swung his messenger bag across his shoulder and made his way towards the glass doors where she stood, crooking his arm in her direction.

"We're all tired Eve, that's not the only thing going on here."

"After so many years, you still know me too well." She laughed.

"I could say the same for you. So, what is it?" He asked, curious.

Evelyn took a deep breath. "Joan uh, still wants me to consider coming back to the CIA." They stopped walking.

"Wow. Even after the disappearing act you pulled on us and all this Young-Jae business? You must be one heck of a spy to have Joan still interested."

"You are pretty incredible yourself, so I've heard."

"I think you mean I _was_. Kind of hard to be an amazing spy without being able to see."

In the past couple days they had been together, Evelyn had noticed Auggie's penchant for self-deprecating humor. She could tell it was his way of coping, making people feel more comfortable around him and at the same time, whether consciously or not, trying to make himself more comfortable with the person he had become. But she could see it didn't work all the time. The subtle nuances in his voice betrayed him.

Their bodies crept closer together and she played with the collar of his gray button down, their faces inches apart "Really? Because what I saw today, was pretty freaking amazing for anyone. And judging by that technologically swanky office of yours, this wasn't just a one day thing."

Their lips were almost touching when Auggie spoke. "Hey? Weren't we supposed to be talking about you?"

There he was, teasing again. But if he had really wanted to kiss her, he would have, whether she had tried to change the subject or not. Evelyn looked at him quizzically. Something was stopping him and she was beginning to figure out what that was. She grazed his hand with hers, signaling him to take hold of her arm again as started to walk again.

* * *

Auggie really wanted to kiss her, and he was only a few milliseconds away from doing so before he pulled back. He wanted her, badly and if he let his instincts rule, clothes would be flying off right now. But he couldn't, not at this moment. Not when he didn't even know if she'd be gone from his life or in it every single day again. Although he tried to play it off, he could tell Evelyn didn't quite buy the act.

"Maybe." She said in response to his question.

"So, what did you tell Joan?"

"I told her I'd have an answer by tomorrow."

"So you haven't decided then?" Auggie asked as they got into the car.

"No."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**: Hello! I'm super sorry this last chapter took me so long to finish and publish. Medical school has just been so demanding I barely ever get time to relax, which sucks majorly. Anyway, this was my last truly "free" weekend for a while so I made sure I got this done for all of you. Thank you so much for your patience and I'm really glad so many of you like this story. There probably won't be any new ones anytime time soon, but you never know! Enjoy! Hope you guys like it. As always, comments/reviews are welcome :)

**Disclaimer**: Sadly, Auggie and the CA crew are not mine.

* * *

Chapter 15

Evelyn nursed the cup of hot coffee in her hands as she swung gently side to side in the barstool at Auggie's apartment. She was up way too early despite the long day they had had yesterday, but trying to figure out whether she wanted to come back to the CIA had kept her up most of the night. Auggie was still sound asleep on the couch and she watched him fondly, although last night was sort of awkward she had to admit. She had already texted her brother earlier to tell him that she'd probably need to stay the night at his place, but was heading back to Auggie's to gather her things, which were still there from the night before. As she was packing, he surprised her by saying "Going somewhere?"

"To my brother's?" She answered.

"You know, you're more than welcome to stay here." He said as he sat down on the loveseat.

"I didn't want to impose…"

Auggie placed his hand on her shoulder. "Evie, how would you be imposing? Besides, it's already pretty late and my tempurpedic mattress has your name on it." He laughed. "I'll be on the couch if you need me."

She was slightly taken back by his decision to sleep on the couch; however, considering what had been going on the last few days, well she couldn't exactly blame him. Though she would much rather have him in the same bed if she "needed him", he probably had his own thoughts to mull over and as it turned out, it was probably for the best as she had tossed and turned most of the night.

She took another sip of coffee and wondered. _Should I ask August what he thinks? _It would be nice to have someone else's opinion aside from her own, but would that put him between a rock and hard place? She knew he had something else going on too and well, a girl just knows when a man she loves (romantically or not) is thinking about another woman. Evie couldn't quite be upset though. Neither of them had ever thought their paths would cross again.

"Is that coffee I smell?" Auggie said, from right behind her.

Lost in her multitude of thoughts, Evelyn didn't notice Auggie had woken up and she jumped, sloshing some of her remaining coffee on the counter.

"Jesus August! How are you in stealth mode this early in the morning?" She said, heart still racing from being startled.

"Stealth mode? I don't know where you are, but I was definitely not in stealth mode. It was more like just woke up stumbling around mode."

They both laughed and Evelyn wiped up the spilled java with a plaid kitchen towel before grabbing a mug and pouring some for Auggie. She placed the cup in his hands and as their fingers touched, they both paused, caught in the strangely intimate moment. Evie pulled away first and went back to her stool.

Auggie sat down next to her, both of them opposite gendered, mirrored images of each other. "Restless night?" He asked as he took a sip from the mug.

"How'd you know?"

"I heard you tossing and turning. That mattress is supposed to knock you out like a log you know."

"And it did the other night. Too much on my mind I guess. Hey, if you heard me, that means you were not sound asleep either. That or I must flop around like a beached whale if I woke you up with my tossing and turning."

"I am going to avoid comparing you to a beached whale and admit that I was not sound asleep."

Evie swatted him in the shoulder for that cheeky comment. He feigned agony and they both broke out in hysterics but the moment passed as quickly as it had come, and they both fell silent again, unspoken, complicated thoughts swirling around them again like a transparent cyclone once again.

Finally, he spun the stool to face her, pausing slightly before asking the pivotal question. "So, have you decided yet?"

Evelyn glanced around Auggie's apartment, remembering the amazing time they had had together in such a short time.

"You know, through everything that's happened, I kept thinking about whether or not I'd come back. I thought about my career, I thought about you, I thought about us…" She turned and brought her hands together with his. "What we had at MIT, it was amazing and exciting and irreplaceable and I still adore being with you, but I've realized that though some amazing things have stayed the same, we're ultimately different people now. You were the first person I ever loved and a part of me will always be a little bit in love with you, but it can't keep me from moving on and I think I need to move on from the CIA."

Evelyn was surprised at the tears welling in her eyes and she took a deep breath to try and stable her emotions. Auggie heard her voice waiver. He held her face in the palms of his hands, his eyes futility searching for hers. Their faces were just inches apart and in that moment, and despite his jumbled feelings for both Annie and Evelyn, he didn't want her to go. She said she needed to move on from the CIA, but she didn't say she needed to move on from him, which was a relief. After having Evelyn back in his life, he couldn't imagine it without her again. Whether or not he was romantically involved with her didn't matter. She was one of a small handful of people who really knew him, understood him and he didn't have many of those people in his life. She meant a lot to him.

"I wish I could see you Evie…"He said, his voice laden with longing and frustration. Evelyn reached up to encircle his hands with hers. Their foreheads touched and before their brains could catch up and tell them otherwise, they shared a bittersweet, last kiss of sorts. He inhaled her scent before they pulled apart.

Evelyn took a deep shuddery breath. "I talked to Joan. We've arranged it so that whenever you guys seriously need me, I can work the field. But, for the most part I'm still Google's chief software engineer."

"Back in California…"

"Yeah, back in California, but I promise that I will keep in touch this time." She cracked a smile and hoped Auggie could sense it.

"You better." Auggie said in a playful, threatening tone.

"Well, I should get going."

The two of them got up off the bar stools and Evelyn grabbed her small travel bag off the loveseat. They walked quietly to the door.

"Don't let her get away."

"What?"

"Annie. She cares a whole lot about you, and I know you care for her too. There's something there, just go for it. Fight for her, if you need to."

Auggie nodded, though not so sure if he should be. "So, this is good-bye."

"For now. Take care of yourself Auggie…wow, I actually called you Auggie."

They both chuckled. "I think I like it better when you call me August."

"Me too. Take care of yourself, August."

"You too Evie. Evelyn." Auggie corrected.

"I think I like it better when you call me Evie." And with that she kissed him on the cheek and disappeared out the door.

* * *

**THE END! MAYBE...**


End file.
